Dark Revelations
by beastlybeauty945
Summary: In a world where Harry Potter is the twin brother of the boy-who-lived, nothing is the same. When Harry is sorted into Slytherin, he's quickly disowned by his family. Lily and James don't want a slimy Slytherin having anything to do with their chosen one. Taken in by the Malfoy family, Harry learns the meaning of family...and what the Dark side truly stands for.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: In a world where Harry Potter is the twin brother of the boy-who-lived, nothing is the same. When Harry is sorted into Slytherin, he's quickly disowned by his family. Lily and James don't want a slimy Slytherin having anything to do with their chosen one. Taken in by the Malfoy family, Harry learns the meaning of family...and what the Dark side truly stands for.

 _Author's Notes: Hello everyone. So, I'm planning for this to be a series of seven books. It's an eventual Drarry fic because I absolutely adore Drarry. I hope you like where I'm going with this and remember to leave a quick review._

 _Ariadne_

 **One**

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harry James Potter smirked as the hat shouted his house name. Everything was working out perfectly for him so far. He'd made it to Hogwarts without his parents knowledge, he'd made it to the sorting, and he'd made it into Slytherin. As long as everything else went according to plan, he'd be set to destroy the Potter name. Harry was almost trembling in excitement as he slipped the hat off of his head.

Harry walked towards Slytherin table, scanning it for the perfect place to sit when he saw a blonde boy moving over to make room for him. He locked eyes with the boy and realized that it was Draco Malfoy. Draco Malfoy was the heir to one of the most powerful families in Britain. The Malfoy family was the exact opposite of the Potter family which is what Harry wanted.

Harry had been raised - if you could call what Harry's parents had done raising him - in a Light family. For the first few years, he'd wondered if he'd done something wrong to deserve the way he'd been treated. His mother had never sung to him the way she sung to Jamie, she simply told him to get to bed and to hurry. Mother had never openly admitted that she disliked him but he knew she did. It was glaringly obvious by the way she treated him. James Potter, however, had openly admitted that he believed his youngest son to be dark. Something had gone wrong the night Voldemort attacked them, he said, and Harry had been tainted with darkness. He was always rude to Harry, forcing him to live in the smallest room in Potter Manor, giving him only the bare minimum to eat. James didn't allow Harry to do anything fun, either. Only his older twin brother Jamie was allowed to do things like that.

If that was what embodied a Light family, Harry didn't want anything to do with it. He wanted to try a Dark family and he knew that the Malfoy family would take him in once they heard his secret. He'd been keeping it solely to himself since his tenth birthday and he knew for a fact that the Malfoy family would desire someone like himself.

The night Voldemort had attacked them, Harry had indeed been tainted by darkness in a way. Some of Voldemort's power had been absorbed by a thin, lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. Harry could do things that no one knew he could do. He could talk to snakes and he already had an animagus form. His animagus form had surprised him a bit but he found that it fit his personality. He was a basilisk animagus, quite the powerful one at that. He'd been honing his transformations for over a year now, just getting ready to present himself to the Malfoy Family.

Taking a seat next to Draco, he met the wide eyes of his twin and smirked. Jamie looked a smug for some reason. He'd probably be writing a letter to mummy and daddy as soon as they left the Hall. Oh well. Harry wanted him to do that. As soon as James Potter heard the news that Harry had been sorted into Slytherin, he would be disowned. Being disowned would leave him available for a Dark family to adopt him. Harry forced himself to look ashamed and even a little frightened. Inside, he was shouting with joy.

"Hello Mr. Potter. My name is Draco Malfoy. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." said the blonde next to him and Harry grinned.

"Please. Just call me Harry."

"Then you simply must call me Draco."

Harry grinned at him as the tables filled with food. They piled their plates with food and started eating right away. Harry looked up and noticed that the potions professor, Severus Snape, was watching him intently. He knew that, in order for his plan to be successful, he absolutely had to have Severus on his side. That was going to be a bit tricky seeing as how James and Severus had hated each other in school but Harry knew how he'd have to do it. He'd have to reveal himself to Severus and Draco. Preferably at the same time.

Glancing across the table, he noticed Blaise Zabini watching him as well. It was common knowledge that the Zabini family had been neutral in the last war but they were incredibly powerful. If Harry could convince them that it was a good idea to ally themselves with him, he would be even happier. But that was something he could work on over the span of a couple of years.

"Uncle Severus is staring at you." Draco said quietly.

Harry nodded. "I know. James Potter hated Severus. He's probably wondering if I'm anything like him."

Draco scoffed. "I can tell just by looking at you that you aren't anything like that mudblood lover."

Harry gave him a sidelong glance. "We'll not talk about that here. Too many prying eyes, Draco."

"We'll meet in my godfather's office after dinner. He wants to talk to you anyways, it looks like."

"Good idea. I need to speak with him as well."

For the rest of dinner, Draco and Harry made small talk as though they were normal children with no knowledge of dark or light. In every glance, though, they shared a wealth of knowledge.

After dinner, Severus Snape came to fetch Harry and Draco from the dungeons. He didn't say much as they walked through the hallways towards the dungeons but Harry and Draco shared a very meaningful look as they followed him. This conversation had the power to completely change everything about the way Harry's plan would go. If Severus decided he didn't believe him, Harry's plans would be dashed to Hell. With Draco on his side, though, Harry thought Severus would believe him.

"I never thought I'd see the day when a Potter was sorted into Slytherin." Severus said, closing the door to his office and casting a privacy charm.

"Potter? I don't consider myself a Potter, Professor. I want nothing more than to destroy the Potter name. They're filthy cretins who've ruined the pureblood name."

Severus nodded thoughtfully. "That they are. Say I believe your story, what are you willing to do in order to see your goal accomplished?"

Harry smirked. "I have a very detailed plan. In order for this plan to be seen through, I have to first join with a very powerful Dark family."

"How will you manage that? You're still under James Potter's control?"

Harry laughed. "Not for much longer. By tomorrow at breakfast, he'll have disowned me. I wasn't even supposed to be at Hogwarts this year. He and Lily were going to send me to a school in Germany so that I couldn't corrupt or hurt their poor Jamie."

"How did you manage to get here?" Draco asked.

"I'm pretty decent at wandless magic so I disillusioned myself and followed them to Kings Cross station. From there, I just had to stay away from Jamie."

"That's why he looked so surprised at your sorting." Severus mused.

"He knew I'd be sorted into Slytherin. That's why James wanted me in Germany. He doesn't want to have to disown me. He and Dumbledore want to keep me under their thumb. But they won't if I'm in Slytherin. Everyone knows that Slytherins are primarily Dark."

"Are you certain that this is what you want?" Severus asked.

"Of course I am. I want to destroy James Potter and his mudblood wife." Harry snarled.

Severus smiled. "Then I'll contact Lucius Malfoy tonight and have him prepare adoption paperwork. He'll adopt you as soon as James disowns you. The prat will most likely send a Howler. If he does that, Magic will recognize his disowning you and it'll be legal. That will mean Lucius can adopt you right away."

"Good. Thank you. This...means a lot to me."

"Do you really think Father will adopt him?" Draco asked.

Severus nodded. "Harry is quite powerful. He'll be a very good addition to the Malfoy family."

"True."

"Let's get you boys back to Slytherin Common Room. We have an early start to the morning."

Severus led them back to their dorm where they were shown their beds. Harry and Draco's beds were right next to each other and they climbed into them, still talking quietly about what was to come tomorrow at breakfast. Harry fell into a rather deep sleep after a few moments, eager to start his new life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

Draco and Harry were up and out of the dorm by seven the next morning. They were talking animatedly as they entered the hall, their attention only on each other. Harry, though, noticed the significant looks that Dumbledore and Jamie Potter seemed to be giving each other. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Harry filled his plate with food. Draco did the same thing, pretending not to notice how everyone in Gryffindor was staring at them. Really, of course, he was hyper-aware of this fact. The Gryffindors weren't exactly quiet about it, after all. Draco could hear their astonished whispers from all the way across the hall.

The owls started pouring in at seven fifteen and Harry quickly recognized the Potter Family Owl flying towards him. Attached to its leg was a red envelope. James Potter was the biggest idiot Harry had ever had the misfortune of knowing. And he'd just sealed his death warrant. Harry fought back his smirk as he slit open the Howler. He glanced up at Severus and the man nodded, telling him without words that Lucius was already on his way to the ministry to file the adoption papers. As soon as Severus got Harry to his office, they would meet with Lucius and sign the papers.

" _I, JAMES HENRY POTTER, HEREBY DISOWN HARRY JAMES FROM THE POTTER CLAN. NO LONGER WILL HE SULLY OUR FAMIY WITH HIS DARKNESS."_

James hadn't said anything else but he didn't need to. Harry felt the burst of magic run through him, disowning him magically from the Potter Clan. He didn't bother to pretend that he was heartbroken over it. Harry didn't think he could act properly upset when he was this happy. Instead, he turned to Draco and smiled before digging into his breakfast again. He wasn't expecting it when, a few moments later, an older boy with longish blonde hair and blue-gray eyes came to stand behind he and Draco.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet my brother. Asterion Black Malfoy, heir to the Black Clan."

Harry smiled at the boy. "It's nice to meet you Heir Black."

Asterion smiled at him. "Please, call me Asterion. Or Ast."

"Asterion then."

"Professor Snape would like to see you in his office to discuss what has just happened, Harry. If you'd follow me."

"Sure. I'll meet you by the lake after I'm finished, Draco."

Draco nodded, a small smirk playing on his lips.

Asterion led the way to Severus office. When they were far enough away from the Great Hall, he grinned at Harry and began to laugh.

"You're brilliant. Father is so bloody excited about all this. He was up most of the night discussing things with mother." Asterion said, grinning at Harry.

Harry laughed. "I'm pretty excited myself."

"I'll be staying for the meeting. I'm going to be a Family Head soon and Father wants me to learn about things like this. I'll be expanding Black family by way of adoption soon and I'll need to know how to do it."

Harry smiled. "Good idea. Your first order of business should be to eject Sirius Black formally from the family. At the moment, he's still able to get into the family vaults."

Asterion nodded. "I'll have to go to Gringotts tomorrow in order to do that. They're not fond of Sirius anyways so I don't expect any trouble."

They'd reached Severus office. Asterion held the door for Harry and then stepped in after him. Lucius Malfoy was already waiting for them, a stack of papers already sat before him. He and Severus were talking quietly, drinking identical cups of tea. Lucius and Severus look up at the sight of Asterion and Harry, their faces breaking into smiles.

"Asterion, I hope you are well my son." Lucius said, smiling at his eldest son.

Asterion nodded. "I am, Father. And yourself?"

Lucius' smile was wide. "I am very, very well." He said. Turning to Harry, he gives a welcoming smile. "It's nice to meet you, young Harry."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Mr. Malfoy."

"None of that, now. We have to present a united front. In public, you must call me Father. In private, however, I would like you to call me Lucius."

Harry nodded. "Of course. It is very important that we keep up a united front. When will this be public knowledge?"

He sat down and began signing the papers. Lucius has already signed them, his signature neat and fluid.

"This afternoon. I've asked for a press release to be sent out stating that I have formally adopted you."

"What reasoning did you give?"

Lucius smiled. "I told them a white lie. You and Draco, my youngest son, had been friends since you met in Diagon Alley. When you were disowned by the Potters, I stepped in because I wanted to help a young Slytherin."

"It's close enough to the truth that it won't matter much. What about timing? This is all very quick."

Again, Lucius smiled. "I was already at the ministry, meeting with Minister Fudge, when the disowning was made public. I immediately left and came through to visit Severus. Severus called an audience with you via my oldest child and...there we have it."

Harry nodded, sitting back in his chair. "I like it. It rings true. And it makes me sound like an innocent victim. That'll appeal to the masses." Harry said quietly.

Lucius smiled. "Smart boy."

Harry grinned, finishing up the last of the paperwork. When he was finished, there was a bright flash of golden light and Harry realized that the adoption had been accepted by magic itself. Severus and Lucius grinned at each other as Asterion clapped him on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the family officially, little brother." Asterion said.

"Thank you Ast."

"There are no classes today so you're free to do whatever you'd like. Stay away from Jamie Potter, though. If he approaches you, you are welcome to defend yourself but I don't want any unnecessary fights." Lucius said.

Harry made a face. "Trust me, I have no intentions of meeting Jamie anywhere. And if he tries meeting with me, I'll just pretend he doesn't exist. He knows better than to attack me by now."

"Then you're welcome to get going. I'm certain Draco is dying to know how things went in here." Lucius said, a small laugh escaping him.

Harry gave one last smile to the three men before turning and leaving the office. There was a smirk on his face as he turned the corner towards the stairwell. Unfortunately for Harry, his good mood was not to last. He heard Jamie Potter shout the Bone Breaking Curse and felt the immense pain of nearly every bone in his body shattering. His world went black just before Asterion's angry voice was heard echoing down the corridor...


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

Harry woke up to the sound of angry voices shouting. In the midst of all the shouting, he recognized Lucius' voice as well as that of James Potter. What the hell had happened? He cursed out loud as the memory of Jamie Potter attacking him came rushing back. That slimy little arsehole had cursed him. Oh, when Harry got a hold of him he was going to die. Opening his eyes, he looked to his right and found Asterion standing near his bedside.

"Harry! You're awake." Asterion burst out, catching Lucius' mid-sentence.

Lucius turned from James Potter with a low growl and came to stand at Harry's bedside.

"Harry. Thank goodness you're all right. Madam Pomfrey was sure you wouldn't wake for another hour or two." he said.

"I heard Potter's voice." he said simply, his face curving into a sneer.

Potter was standing behind Lucius, sneering openly at his former son. Harry didn't mind that sneer. He'd grown used to it over the years he'd spent in the Potter house. James Potter could sneer every bit as good as a Slytherin.

"Do you remember anything about the attack?" Asterion asked quietly, ignoring Potter's angry huff.

"Of course I do. I'd know the little worm's voice anywhere. Jamie Potter attacked me with the Bone Breaking Curse."

"Certainly you're mistaken, Harry. Jamie wouldn't such a thing." said another voice.

Harry looked around and had to stifle the urge to sigh in anger. Albus Dumbledore stood inches away from Harry's bedside, looking as though he were disappointed in Harry.

"You think I don't know what Jamie Potter looks and sounds like, then? Because that is who I saw curse me. And there's no one else who would do it." Harry said, keeping his voice void of emotion.

Professor Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Harry..."

Lucius Malfoy whipped around, his gaze furious. "If you continue to call my son a liar, I will make sure you are removed from this school. Do you understand me?" he hissed.

"I wasn't calling Harry a liar. I was simply suggesting that he could be slightly mistaken."

At the same time, James Potter was staring at Lucius with wide eyes. "Son? Harry's not your son. In fact, he's nobody's son."

Asterion smiled and, for the first time, Harry could see a hint of Lucius in Asterion. The older boy spoke in a low voice, one filled with every bit of the power and authority that he'd learned from Lucius.

"Father adopted him twenty minutes after you disowned him, Potter. Harry is my younger brother's best friend and Draco would have insisted on it anyways. We're quite proud to have such a talented wizard as part of the family."

Asterion's smile was cold, his blue-gray eyes filled with malice as they stared at James Potter. He turned to Harry, his gaze warming.

"I'll be back later. Father's given me permission to leave the school. I'll meet you and Draco by the Black Lake after dinner." he said.

Professor Dumbledore stepped in Asterion's way. Asterion raised one perfect eyebrow and set his face into a smirk.

"I'm afraid I cannot authorize you to leave school grounds, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said.

Asterion's smile grew more pronounced at that. "You have no choice. I'm the Head of an ancient and noble house. I have family business to attend to."

"You cannot possibly be a Head of Family. You're too young." James Potter cut in.

Asterion simply smiled. "I'm sixteen. That is old enough to take the Head of Family place as long as there is no acting Head. The Black Family had no Head as of my sixteenth birthday and therefore I was allowed to take the title."

"Unfortunately, James, Asterion here is right." Dumbledore said, stepping aside.

Asterion walked out of the infirmary, his back straight. Harry knew, however, that he would burst into laughter the second he was out of earshot. At his bedside, Lucius straightened his back and stared at Dumbledore, one thin eyebrow raised.

"What will his punishment be, Dumbledore?" Lucius' voice was carefully controlled but the venom in it wasn't.

"Punishment? If my son attacked your brat, Malfoy, he had a reason. Jamie wouldn't do something like this without being provoked." Potter snarled.

Lucius didn't rise to the bait. "You're forgetting that this happened right outside of the dungeons, Potter," he said smoothly, "I would have heard my son spouting off a curse."

Potter looked livid but said nothing. Dumbledore sighed and, still looking at Harry as though he were disappointed in him, said, "Jamie Potter will serve three weeks detention."

"That's ludicrous, Albus. If Jamie is punished than the Malfoy brat should be as well."

Albus shook his head. "There is no evidence of wrongdoing, James. I'm sorry but I cannot punish Harry without evidence."

James Potter glared at Harry. Harry stared back, schooling his features in an uninterested expression.

"Stay away from my son, vermin. You'll be sorry if I catch you near him again."

Harry fought to keep the fear from his face. He'd heard that voice too many times, knew what it meant when James used that voice. His body remembered the pain inflicted by that tone of voice. Still, the only outward reaction Harry gave was an eye roll. James Potter couldn't hurt him anymore. Harry had made sure of that.

Giving Lucius one last glare, James Potter turned on his heel and left the infirmary. Albus Dumbledore swept after him, leaving Lucius and Harry alone. Lucius gave Harry a smile and sank into a chair beside the bed.

"I suspect that Draco will be here fairly soon." Lucius said.

No sooner had he spoken than the doors open and Draco stepped inside. He walked towards Harry's bedside and sat on the edge of it, looking furious.

"The Slytherins are planning a revolt against the Gryffindors, so you know. They're livid at what Potter did. Also, two first years and the Weasley twins were actually yelling at him in the hallway and I'm pretty sure that the male first year was another Weasley." Draco said by way of greeting.

"Why were they yelling at him?"

"The girl, Potter called her Granger, was angry because he'd attacked someone else without reason. She was also angry that he'd lost them points. The Weasley's just seemed like they didn't like him all that much."

"That's because we don't." said a set of identical voices.

Harry looked around to see four people entering the infirmary. There were the Weasley twins and their youngest brother, Ron. Walking alongside them was a girl with a thick mane of bushy brown hair and chocolate eyes. She had lightly tanned skin and the general look of the Black family.

"Why don't you like the Potter brat?" Harry asked, unable to keep the contempt out of his voice.

"He's an arrogant little toad. Constantly bragging about how much money he's got and how famous he is." The girl said.

Ron shrugged. "Pretty much what she said."

Harry hummed. "What's your name Miss...?"

"Granger. Hermione Granger."

"Were you adopted by any chance?" Lucius asked, his voice very quiet.

Hermione looked startled. "Yes. I was two weeks old when I was adopted. I think my parents must have been magical."

Lucius cast a silent privacy charm, his face very white. Draco too looked astonished. The two of them looked at each other, before Lucius spoke in a hoarse voice.

"It can't be. No. It simply isn't possible..." he muttered.

"What isn't possible?" Hermione asked.

Lucius looked at her. "My sister-in-law...her daughter was kidnapped at exactly two weeks of age. We always assumed that she was dead. But...even though you're obviously under a very powerful glamour, I can see traces of the Black family in you."

"Like what?"

"Your hair. Bellatrix's was always bushy. Your cheekbones, they're high. May I attempt something? If what I've just told you is the truth, you'll revert to what you're supposed to look like. If not, the spell will simply bounce off of you."

Hermione hesitated. "If...if I am...if I am her daughter, will this get me away from the muggles I live with?" she asked.

Lucius nodded. "Yes. You'll come and live with your aunt Narcissa and I, of course. Your mother was imprisoned a long time ago but we will take over as your guardians."

"Then do it."

Lucius raised his wand and cast a silent spell towards Hermione. The second it hit her, she changed. Her hair, while it maintained it's bushiness, was now a deep black, almost blue. Her eyes were a very light blue. Lucius had been right. Before them stood Lyra Talitha Lestrange, formerly known as Hermione Jean Granger.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry it took me a while to get this one uploaded. I've been a bit busy lately. I promise updates will be coming much more frequently from now on. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story and remember to leave a review._

 **Four**

Lucius stared in wonder at the girl before him. Harry couldn't really blame him. After all, no matter what he'd thought, Harry knew that he hadn't actually expected that to work. Hermione was staring at her uncle, tears filling her eyes. Lucius stared at her, his eyes quite wide. When he walked over to meet her, she threw her arms around his middle and began to sob in earnest.

"It's all right. You're going to be fine." Lucius said, rubbing the girl's back gently.

"These are happy tears." Hermione proclaimed, smiling.

"Happy tears?"

She nodded. "The muggles that raised me...they're never very nice to me. I'm...they're scared of me. They always have been."

Lucius smiled. "You don't have to worry about that anymore."

He straightened his back and turned to Harry and Draco. "I will write you a letter before I come to visit next. It'll probably be Friday, however, because I'll be busy. Come, Lyra...Hermione. We're going to the Ministry of Magic."

"Lyra? Is...is that what my birth parents named me?"

Lucius nodded. "Lyra Talitha Lestrange."

"Then that's what I want to be called from now on." she turned to the Weasley's, "I'll meet you in the common room when I return."

"We'll be there." 

Lyra followed Lucius out of the infirmary, her back very straight. When she was gone, the three Weasley's stepped to the side of Harry's bed. Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed, ready to be out of the infirmary. As he was pulling his shirt back on, he heard Madam Pomfrey's sharp intake of breath.

"You shouldn't be up yet!" she said, pushing him back onto the bed.

"I'm fine Madam Pomfrey. Nothing hurts and I'm not staying in this bed all day. I'll go mad." Harry answered, standing again.

She huffed. "I'll cast a diagnostic charm on you. If nothing is truly wrong, I'll let you leave."

Harry let her do it, knowing that his magic would already have healed his body. It always did. That was how he'd known that he was more powerful than Jamie. Sure enough, when she lowered her wand, Madam Pomfrey shooed him towards the door.

"All right then. You're free to go."

"Let's go down to the Black Lake." Harry said, noticing that he and Draco were being followed by Ron and his twin brothers.

Together, the rather unlikely group walked down to the Black Lake. They took seats in a secluded corner of the shore and Harry turned to look at the Weasley brothers. He wondered why they'd followed him. Harry had always thought the Weasley's were a very Light family and it was obvious that Harry wasn't. At least Harry thought it was. He certainly wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was Dark.

"You're wondering why we followed you." said one of the twins.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I am. You're not exactly the type I'd figure would be interested in friendships with Dark Wizards."

Ron smiled. "You're wrong. We were sorted into Gryffindor because we're brave, but we've never been Light wizards."

The other twin - Fred? Or was it George? - spoke as well. "We're not the only Dark Weasley's, either. There are three, possibly four, others."

"Interesting. Which ones?"

"Ginny, she's the youngest and the only girl. She was a bit of a surprise but she came to us before we left this year. She said she was certain she wasn't a Light Witch and she was terrified that we'd disown her." Ron said, sharing a look with the twins.

"The other is the second oldest, Charlie. He works in Romania, with Dragons, and he's been Dark for as long as we can remember. The only reason mum and dad haven't disowned him yet is because it would look bad and dad doesn't want the Weasley reputation sullied any further." George Weasley said.

Fred picked up where his twin had left off. "Bill is the oldest and we only discovered that he was Dark last summer. He overheard us talking to Ron about our magic and he revealed to us that he was Dark as well."

"And we have reason to believe that Percy might be Dark as well. We never would have believed it but Fred found a book of Dark magic in his bedroom last summer and Percy's been acting weird lately."

Harry nodded, thinking about that. "That makes sense. What are you suggesting?" he asked, realizing that the Weasley's had a point to what they were saying.

The twins spoke together this time. "You're going to need people in Gryffindor, people close to the Light. We can be those people. Hermione - sorry Lyra - won't be a very good candidate because Gryffindor is likely to ostracize her after her real name is discovered. We won't suffer that treatment. If anyone asks why we talk to you, we'll just say it's to keep tabs on what you're doing."

Draco looked at Harry. "They have a point, Harry. We DO need people in Gryffindor. And the Light trusts the Weasley family."

Harry couldn't hide his grin. "You're in." he said quietly.

"What are you planning this year?" Ron asked.

Harry looked at him. How had Ron known that he was planning something? It was true that he'd been planning something for months but he didn't really think that anyone really knew what he was planning.

"How did you know I was planning anything?" Harry asked.

"Jamie was going on an on about it earlier. How he knew you were planning something this year because he'd caught you looking things up in Potter Library."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, he wasn't wrong. But that means I'm going to have to be even more careful than before." he said.

Draco looked at him. "What is it you're planning? Is there any way we can help?"

Harry cast a silent privacy charm around them before speaking. "There's something called the Sorcerer's Stone hidden in the castle at this very moment. It has the power to bring back He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I'm going to steal it and present it to Him."

The Weasley Twins' eyes were wide. "You know where he is?"

Harry nodded. "Of course I do. He's in the castle, disguised at the moment. I've...okay, if this gets out to anyone else I will not hesitate to kill you."

Draco and the Weasley's looked at him in shock. Draco was the first to recover. "We're not going to tell anyone your secrets, Harry."

"You'd better not. Anyways, I've been secretly in contact with him for over a year now via his familiar, Nagini. Nagini sends messages back and forth between us. He originally sent her to kill both Jamie and I but I managed to send her back with a message. He was intrigued and asked to meet. Let me tell you, getting away from the Potters in Diagon Alley to meet with Him was incredibly hard. But I managed it and we spoke. He can actually manage a corporeal form when he tries but in that instance he possessed a willing follower and met me in Knockturn Alley. We talked for an hour and he bought my school books. He was originally going to steal the Stone alone but I told him I wanted to help him and he agreed."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "If you're so intent on helping Him, why don't you call him by what his Death Eaters call him? Wouldn't that be respectful?"

Harry gave a smile. "There are two reasons. The first being that Dumbledore put a spell on me. If I call him what the Death Eaters call him, the Light Side will know. And, while I've made it obvious that I'm Dark, they don't need to know that I'm allied with Him. If they find out too soon, they could stop me. The second reason is that I'm not a Death Eater and never will be. He and I are partners. He told me that I remind him of himself and that it would be a waste if he made me just another follower. He's told me to simply call him Lord Slytherin."

Draco's eyes went wide. "He hasn't made anyone a partner in years. Harry, this is huge."

Harry shrugged. "It'll only be big if I succeed."

The Weasley's stared at Harry, their mouths open. "You're going to bring Him back? But...isn't that a little dangerous?" Ron asked.

Draco shook his head. "Not for anyone who knows what's good for them. He doesn't want to eradicate muggleborns or kill all half-bloods. All he wants is to bring muggleborns into our world sooner, to help them get acquainted with magic better and to help people understand that Dark Magic is just magic."

"It's more than just, that, though." Harry said softly, his gaze turning to the water in front of them.

"What else is there?" Fred Weasley asked.

"He wants to teach Dark Magic in schools, to educate people on the proper way to perform and use it. Right now, people think that Dark Magic is simply evil magic. He wants people to know that it isn't evil at all. Like all magic, Dark Magic is based on intent. If you intend to do harm, you'll do harm. Being Dark has been considered evil since Dumbledore saw fit to create terror. Lord Slytherin did quite a bit of digging and discovered quite a bit about Dumbledore. Needless to say, the man isn't the saint he appears to be."

Draco looked interested. "How so?"

"You remember Grindelwald, correct?"

Ron Weasley nodded. "Everyone knows about him. Dumbledore defeated him and was hailed as a hero."

Harry smirked. "Dumbledore did no such thing. He and Grindelwald were lovers in reality. They plotted the demise of all muggleborns and how they'd rise up as leaders over the Muggle and Magical worlds. In short, they had major world domination goals. Their plans were cut short when they got into a spat. No one is really sure what they started fighting over but it quickly became a duel of epic proportions. He and Grindelwald fought in the Dumbledore's living room at Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore's younger sister, Ariana, was killed during the fight. Lord Slytherin speculates that it was Dumbledore himself who killed her. After that night, Grindelwald set about achieving his goals on his own. Dumbledore had it in his head that only he could stop Grindelwald but he couldn't bring himself to actually kill the man so he staged an epic - and very public - duel where he brought Grindelwald to the very brink of death. When he was on the edge of death, Dumbledore made it look like he had died and then took Grindelwald to Nurmengard where he's been locked up all this time. He's under magical suppression cuffs and he's heavily guarded at all times but Lord Slytherin has been able to meet with him several times and they've got something big planned. Lord Slytherin plans to break him out of prison this summer."

The twins looked thoughtful. "But their goals are so different."

"Not really. Grindelwald now realizes that muggleborns are quite useful to our society. His goals are much in line with Lord Slytherin's. His only requirement is that Dumbledore be left for him. Come this summer, Dumbledore will be terrified."

Draco smirked. "I can't speak for the Weasley's but I'm totally willing to help you."

The Weasley's looked at each other. "We're in too." they said in unison.

Harry looked at them. Three people he'd never guessed he would be friends with, brought together by a common goal. Smiling at them, he began to lay out his plan.

"It's simple, really. Lord Slytherin is currently pretending to possess Professor Quirell. He's not really possessing him, though. Quirell is totally willing to do whatever he needs to in order to help Lord Slytherin regain his powers. Lord Slytherin himself is hiding in a special room of the castle called the Room of Requirement. Dumbledore, the senile old man that he is, is hiding the Stone in a room on the Third Floor. I'm going to get past the protections he's placed on it and steal the stone. I'll hand it over to Lord Slytherin and he'll leave the castle, killing Professor Quirell."

"He's going to kill Professor Quirell?" Ron asked, looking shocked.

Harry nodded. "He doesn't really have a choice. If he leaves Quirell alive, the Ministry will use any means necessary to interrogate him."

Draco looked at the Weasley's. "A lot of the time, when Lord Slytherin kills his followers it's to protect them. Once the Ministry gets a hold of them, it's never very good. Look at what happened to the Lestrange family. My aunt had to fake being a mad woman who'd fallen in love with Lord Slytherin in order to avoid being interrogated by the Ministry. And they only managed to do it because the Lestrange family is so skilled at Occlumency that their minds can't be penetrated by Legilimancy. They still got thrown in Azkaban but at least they weren't subjected to the mind torture that the Aurors put Dark Wizards through."

Ron nodded. "That makes sense, I guess. Does Quirell know he's going to be killed?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he's been told to get his affairs in order. His wife and daughter are going to be cared for by Lord Slytherin himself for the rest of their lives and they know that he's doing something very good for the Dark Order. Without his sacrifice, we may never regain our status in the world."

Draco nodded. "Father has always said that Lord Slytherin rewards his most faithful followers. It's one of the reasons our family has always supported the man. Lord Slytherin - while he does, in fact, have servants - considers his Inner Circle his friends. Father, along with the Lestrange family, and Severus Snape are in the Inner Circle."

"Isn't Snape a half-blood, though?"

Harry shook his head. "No. He was adopted by a muggle man named Tobias Snape but his true father was Gideon Farce, an American pureblood of both noble and ancient status. In private, Severus actually goes by the name Severus Prince but Dumbledore is under the impression that he's a half-blood so Severus has kept the name Snape in use."

"How do you know all that?"

Harry grimaced. "Lily Potter kept a journal detailing her school years. In her fifth year, she was dating Severus. They...hang on a moment."

Harry waved his wand, casting a stronger privacy ward. When he was finished, he spoke again. What he was about to tell them would explain many things about his birth mother, things that no one outside of his friends had any right knowing.

"She and Severus grew up together. They were best friends all through school. In fifth year, though, Lily did something terrible. She became pregnant with Severus' child. Thinking - erroneously - that the Wizarding World would look down on her if she gave birth to the child of a Dark Wizard, Lily went to a muggle clinic and had an abortion. She then - stupidly - told Severus what she'd done. Severus cast her out, calling her a filthy mudblood bitch in front of James Potter and his friends."

The Weasley's were pale. Draco, who had already heard the tale, just looked disgusted. In the Wizarding World, to abort a child was nothing short of murder. Wizarding folks were proud of their children. They took pride in each new life they created. The fact that Lily Evans - now Potter - had aborted a magical child spoke volumes about her character. She was looked upon as little more than a jumped up mudblood in most pureblood circles these days.

"How on earth could she have done that, though? Certainly she knew that all magical blood is valued?" Ron asked, looking green.

Harry shrugged. "In her journal, she complained that she couldn't have had the baby because it would close too many doors for her. Careers she wanted to look into would be completely closed if she were to have had that baby. In reality, it was quite the opposite. Because she cut the life of that baby short, most magical careers were automatically shut to her. That's why she's a stay-at-home-mother. None of the careers she was so ambitious to start were open to her. Dumbledore offered her a position at Hogwarts teaching Charms but, when Flitwick heard who was getting his job, he conveniently decided that retiring wasn't such a great idea after all. Lily has been a stay at home mother ever since. And she blames Severus for it. In her eyes, if he hadn't gotten her up the duff she wouldn't have been forced to take such drastic action."

"I don't have anything against muggleborns, you know. But it's muggleborns like her that have earned the name 'mudblood.' Disgusting bitch." Draco said, curling his upper lip in distaste.

Harry nodded. "She's disgusting all right. But she's got James Potter wrapped around her pinky finger. It's disgusting the way he does whatever she wants him to. When I was around, she'd make him deal with me so she didn't have to. Whenever I needed to be punished, it was James that did it. She's also got Dumbledore's ear. I can't count the times she's told him to do something and he actually did it. He wouldn't agree, however, to deny me entry at Hogwarts, though. Which is why James and Lily were trying to send me to Germany in secret."

The Weasley twins' eyes were wide. "They weren't going to let you come to Hogwarts?"

Harry shook his head. "I had to sneak on board the train in order to be able to come to Hogwarts. If they'd realized what I'd done, they would have removed me immediately and James would have given me a damn good beating."

Draco's eyes were suddenly furious. "He...beat you?"

Harry flinched without really meaning to. He didn't really want to tell them but he knew that, if he didn't, they'd find out eventually and Harry would rather tell it himself than have them find out through other means. "Yeah. When I'd done something he really didn't like, he'd use his wand. When I was four, I found out I could talk to snakes. Lily caught me talking to a garden snake and told James about it. James killed the snake before dragging me inside. I spent three hours that night being subjected to the Cruciatus Curse."

Draco looked ill. The Weasley's looked as though they'd very much like to avenge him. No one spoke for a few tense moments.

"Shouldn't that have killed you?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded. "It probably would have except for the fact that James didn't keep the curse up for three hours. He'd curse me for twenty minutes and stop for twenty minutes. He did that all night long. It kept me alive...but barely. Afterwards, he locked me in a cupboard sized room in the basement of Potter Manor for three weeks."

"I get the feeling that it wasn't the worst thing he did to you." Draco said, looking at Harry.

Harry nodded. "It wasn't. He did worse things as I got older. Sometimes, Lily watched him. She always seemed to take great joy in the fact that I was being cursed."

The Weasley brothers shuddered. "How could anyone treat their own child like that? Our parents aren't exactly the greatest but they'd never curse us." The twins said.

Ron shrugged, looking at them. "If mum thought she could get away with it she probably would."

Harry had trouble believing this. Molly Weasley had always been considered to be the 'ultimate mother.' Most people considered her to be a sweet woman who loved every one of her children equally. When he voiced this, the Weasley brothers shook their heads vehemently. It was Fred Weasley who spoke.

"That's an act she puts on around people. At home, she's quite different. Constantly yelling at us and insulting us. George and I have known that we want to own our own joke shop since we were in our first year. Mum has it in her head that, by insulting us and destroying the products we make, she can stop us doing that. I think Ron's right. If she could get away with using a curse or two for punishment, she more than likely would."

Draco nodded. "Father used to be friends with Arthur Weasley when they were in school. He said that Arthur was a generally good bloke up until he started dating Molly Prewitt. It was after he started dating her that he started to turn towards the Light."

Before anyone could reply, Harry caught sight of Jamie Potter sauntering towards them. He dropped the privacy wards so that the prat wouldn't be able to accuse them of anything. Draco came to sit on his right hand side while the Weasley brothers chose to move behind him. It was obvious, however, that the Weasley brothers were not seeking protection but were preparing to defend Harry if need be. They all had their hands on their wands and were staring at Jamie Potter with an expression of utter dislike.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Here is chapter five. Another rather long chapter. Not sure if they'll all be this long but I hope they will be. I'll try to have the next chapter up in a week, maybe two. I like to make sure my chapters are a good length and filled with quality content. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story and remember to review._

 **Five**

"You should know, Weasley's, that my father is on his way to your parents...hovel. Within the hour, they'll know what sort of dreadful company you've decided to keep." Jamie said, smirking at the three redheaded brothers.

Fred Weasley rolled his eyes. "This matters to us...why exactly? It isn't as though we're under obligation to choose our friends based upon our parents' wishes."

Jamie's smirk grew more pronounced. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

George Weasley gave a wide yawn. "I do hope you realize that we're not scared of you any more than we are of our parents. We'll be friends with whoever we please, Potter. Now kindly go away, you're ruining our pleasant evening."

"I don't have to go anywhere."

Behind him, Lyra Lestrange had just arrived. Coming to sit down near Harry and Draco, Lyra gave Jamie Potter a withering glance.

"It's bad enough that I'm forced to deal with you in Gryffindor, can't you go find your own friends to annoy?" she asked.

"No one asked you, Granger."

Lyra looked at Harry. "Is there anyone named Granger here?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

Harry grinned. "I don't think there is, Miss Lestrange."

Jamie's eyes widened at the implication. Without saying a single word to them, he turned and fled in the direction of the castle. Lyra stared after him for a moment before muttering something under her breath.

"Lucius thinks - and both the goblins and Narcissa agree - that Albus Dumbledore had everything to do with my disappearance." she told them in hushed tones.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "So that's what Jamie's run off to do..." he whispered.

Ron looked at him. "What do you think he's gone off to do?"

"Obviously to tell Dumbledore that Lyra is not as unaware of her heritage as he'd like her to be."

"Why do you say that?"

"If Dumbledore had anything to do with Lyra's kidnapping, James and Lily Potter were more than definitely involved. For the last couple of months, Dumbledore has been coming to Potter Manor for private meetings with James, Lily, and Jamie."

Catching on, Lyra's eyes widened. "That's why Jamie Potter was trying to make friends with me. Dumbledore thought that, if I was friends with him, I wouldn't want to be a Lestrange even if I discovered the truth."

Harry nodded. "Jamie is headed to Dumbledore now. Which means that you can expect a summons from the Headmaster pretty soon."

Lyra gave an uneasy look. "I'm going to owl Lucius and Narcissa. I don't think I want to be in a room alone with him." she said.

Draco nodded. "We should all do that. Dumbledore is a Legilimens. He can read your mind just by looking into your eyes. I don't think it's a good idea to be alone with him at all."

Harry looked at them. "The Weasley's shouldn't be in too much danger. They're Gryffindors. Dumbledore wouldn't dare do anything to Gryffindors. Regardless, avoid looking directly into his eyes. He can only perform Legilimancy if you look directly into his eyes. As for Draco, Lyra, and I we'll have Lucius, Narcissa, or Severus there with us any time he summons us."

Fred nodded. "All right."

Ron looked at the castle. "It's dinnertime, should we head inside?" he asked.

Draco nodded. "Probably. Lyra, head up to the Owlery and send a letter off to Father. Have him Floo to Severus office immediately. I have a feeling Dumbledore will summon you or Harry to his office. Probably both of you."

Harry glanced at Draco as they entered the castle. "Why me?"

"After everything that has happened today, Dumbledore will want to talk to you without Father."

Harry tilted his head in acknowledgment of that. "This is probably true."

Once in the Great Hall, Harry and Draco went to sit across from Blaise Zabini at Slytherin table. The Weasley brothers and Lyra went to sit across from a boy Harry recognized as Neville Longbottom.

Seeing the other boy gave Harry a pang of sorrow. He and Neville had been best friends growing up and Harry missed the other boys' company. He knew Neville would be pretty disappointed that Harry was Dark. After all, the common story among the Light Faction was that Frank and Alice Longbottom, Neville's parents, had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, the most brutal and powerful of the witches among the Dark faction.

The story was only partially true, however. While Bellatrix, along with her husband and brother-in-law, had indeed tortured the Longbottoms into insanity, there had been a far greater reason for it. Dumbledore had told the Light faction that Voldemort was looking for the boy Prophecised to kill him. This wasn't true. In all actuality, Voldemort hadn't placed much - if any - stock in the Prophecy at all. This, naturally, pissed Dumbledore off and so he had to do something to change it.

There were two things that happened three weeks prior to the attacks on the Potter and Longbottom households. The first of these things was the unprovoked attack on the Lestrange family. Bellatrix and her husband had twin sons, Orion and Arcturus Lestrange. They were nine years old and the pride and joy of the Dark faction. Three and a half weeks prior to the attack on the Longbottoms, Alice and Frank Longbottom led an attack on Lestrange Manor. At the time of the attack, Bellatrix and her husband were home alone with their sons. They had let the boys stay up a few hours later to celebrate the fact that Bellatrix was once again pregnant. As they sat in the living room of their manor, Alice and Frank burst in and began the attack. Orion and Arcturus Lestrange were rather brutally killed in the attack as the young boys fought - mind you they had no wands - to protect their mother and unborn sibling. Following the death of their twin sons, Alice Longbottom hit Bellatrix with a curse that caused her to miscarry the child she carried. Because of this curse, Bellatrix lost the ability to carry children.

Not long after this attack came another, even more horrifying attack on the Dark. James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin led an attack on Voldemort himself. No one, not even Harry, knew where Sirius Black had been but he had not taken part in the attack. While it is not commonly known, the man known as Voldemort is actually named Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was married and had one child, a daughter who was seventeen years old. Tom's wife and daughter were at Riddle Manor, alone with Tom himself away on business, when Potter, Black, and Lupin attacked them. The women fought valiantly but were ultimately killed in the attack. Unbeknownst to James Potter and friends, however, Lucius Malfoy arrived on the scene just as the attackers were fleeing. After making sure the bodies of Marisol and Isabelle Riddle were respectfully laid out, Lucius went and fetched Voldemort himself.

It was because of these acts that the attacks on the Potter and Longbottom families were orchestrated. Had Dumbledore kept his broken nose out of things, Voldemort would never have targeted either family. In fact, before those attacks were orchestrated, Voldemort had been planning to leave the country with his followers. They had been planning on going to the much more open country of Australia with their faction. It was due to Dumbledore's need to keep his nose in matters that didn't pertain to him that there was even a war still continuing.

"Why are you staring at Longbottom?" Draco asked, shaking Harry out of his thoughts.

Harry blinked and turned to him. "We were friends up until I came to Hogwarts. I was...merely sad that we were not friends anymore."

Draco rolled his eyes. "And why can't you be friends with him?"

Harry gave him a pointed look. "His parents were tortured into insanity by the Lestrange family. I mean, there was good reason for it but Neville doesn't know that."

"Lord Slytherin told you about that, huh?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. He wanted to explain why he'd chosen to go after Jamie and I in the first place."

Draco shuddered, looking at Longbottom. "In any case, Longbottom might be an asset to our cause if you could get him to believe you."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure how open he is. I never mentioned anything about the Dark to him."

"Have Ron or Lyra talk to him and tell him the story behind the attack on his parents. Maybe he'll be receptive to you if he knows that there was something behind it."

"I'll catch Lyra after dinner and have her talk to him."

"Good idea."

As Harry finished his dinner and reached for dessert, a Gryffindor Prefect approached him with a note from the Headmaster. Harry was to appear before the Headmaster directly after dinner. Harry shot a look at Draco and the blonde boy stood up to make sure his father had arrived. A few minutes later, Draco slid back in beside him.

"Father is waiting for you in an alcove near the Headmaster's office."

"Good. Wonder what the old man wants."

Draco shrugged, looking up at the Head Table. "Lord only knows. Dumbledore may be powerful but the man is absolutely barmy."

"Dumbledore just left. I should get going too. I'll meet you in the common room after Dumbledore releases me."

"Okay."

Harry stalked off in the direction of the Headmaster's office. On the way there, he stopped off in an alcove to let Lucius know that it was time. The blonde man smiled at him thinly before following him to the stone gargoyle that hid Dumbledore's office.

"Lemon Drops." Harry told it, causing it to leap aside.

When Dumbledore caught sight of Lucius lurking just behind Harry, his eyes widened.

"Mr. Potter, I believed I asked for you to come alone." he said, sounding disappointed that Harry had disobeyed him.

"James Potter disowned me, if you recall. I've since been adopted by the Malfoys. You'll call me Mr. Malfoy or I'll thank you not to speak to me at all." Harry told the Headmaster.

"Ah, yes. That's what you've been brought here for, Harry. James is in the process of rectifying his mistake. He acted before he truly thought about it. By tomorrow morning, you'll be a Potter again."

Lucius scoffed. "In order for that to happen, I have to give up custody and relinquish my rights. I assure you, Dumbledore, I have no intention of doing that."

Dumbledore looked at him. "Harry must be with his family, Lucius. Surely you wouldn't keep him from his true family?"

It was now Harry's turn to scoff. "That's nice, Dumbledore, but the Potters are by no means my family. I have no love for any of them. The Malfoys are more family to me than the Potters are. And I do not wish to go back to them."

Lucius clasped a hand on Harry's shoulder. "And you will not go back to them."

"Lucius, it is not up to you to keep the boy." Dumbledore's eyes flashed angrily.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I would rather die than go back to the Potters, Dumbledore. I will not go back to them."

Dumbledore stared at Harry through his half-moon glasses, the twinkle gone from his blue eyes.

"I don't think you understand, Harry. Your family needs you. James and Lily love you and only want the best for you. Jamie needs his brother by his side. If you'll just give them a second chance, they're willing to send you to a school in America."

Harry and Lucius shared a look before Lucius spoke in a hard voice. "No, Dumbledore, I don't think you understand. Harry has made his decision. He chose to stay with my family and therefore he will. I adopted him. Meaning he is my son and I will take care of him as such."

"Lucius..."

"No Dumbledore. Nothing more will be said on this subject. Furthermore, from now on you are not to summon any of my children to your office without Narcissa or I present. That includes our Gryffindor ward."

The Headmaster looked confused. "You don't have a Gryffindor ward, Lucius."

Lucius smiled. "Ah. But I do. You see, Lyra Lestrange, my niece, has been found at last. Quite by accident, you understand. I myself took her to the Ministry to claim her as my ward and register that she's been found. You should have already received the letter from the Minister informing you that Hermione Granger's name has been changed."

Dumbledore paled but gave no other hint that he was displeased. "Well, that's very good. I'm happy for you and your family, Lucius."

Lucius smiled. "Thank you, Dumbledore. Harry, you may return to Slytherin Common Room. I have no doubt that Draco is eagerly waiting for you."

"Thank you Father."

"You're welcome Harry. Tell Draco, Asterion, and Lyra that Narcissa and I will be here on Friday evening to take the four of you to dinner in Hogsmeade. Be ready by five fifteen."

"Okay."

"Lucius, I did not release Mr. Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes. "My last name is Malfoy. Not Potter. There is only one Potter at this school and he's a whiny, insignificant, arsehole. If you will not refer to me by my legal last name, I will have no choice but to ignore you."

Without waiting for Dumbledore's reply, Harry walked out of the office. He heard the sound of Lucius' bored drawl as the stone gargoyle slid back into place and he couldn't help but smile. Harry walked down to the dungeons, stopping off once in Severus' office to tell the man what had transpired in Dumbledore's office. Severus rolled his eyes and laughed outright.

"Honestly, the man is so blind it's funny."

Harry nodded. "I just wonder how far he – and the Potters – are willing to go in order to get me back under their control."

Severus looked a little concerned at that. "Knowing James Potter, he'll be willing to go to some pretty drastic lengths if he thinks it's worth it. And, seeing as how Dumbledore obviously thinks it is, we should be prepared."

Harry sank into a chair opposite Severus. "You're my Head of House, though. I assume that Dumbledore will ignore Lucius' request and try and call me into his office alone. In that case, I will first come directly to you."

"You'd want me to accompany you?"

Harry shook his head. "Not exactly. Watch from the shadows without letting him sense your presence. That way you can block him from influencing me in any way magically. Since I also expect him to be doing the same for Lyra, I'll tell her to do the same thing."

"I'll talk to Lucius in the morning and let him know our plan."

"Good idea. I'd better get to Draco. He's probably on the edge of his seat waiting for me."

Severus grinned. "Most likely. Good night Harry."

"Night Severus."

Harry left Severus' office and headed down the corridor towards the Slytherin Common Room. As he'd expected, Draco was waiting outside the door for him.

"Pureblood." Draco said to the wall, watching as it opened itself to reveal the common room.

"So, what happened?" Draco asked as they took seats in a quiet corner of the common room.

"Apparently James Potter is pushing to have custody of me returned to him. According to Dumbledork, he realized his mistake and wants to make things right with me."

Draco scoffed. "Not likely."

"That's what I thought. Lucius assured him that he would not be giving me up and made it clear to Dumbledore that I was a Malfoy. The old arsehole didn't seem to get it, unfortunately. He kept calling me Mr. Potter."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Idiot."

"Lucius and Narcissa are coming on Friday to take us all out to dinner. We're to be ready by five fifteen."

"That'll be nice."

"Remind me to let Asterion know as well."

"Let me know what?" came Asterion's voice from the chair beside him.

Harry relayed Lucius' message and Asterion grinned.

"Perfect. I'll be able to update Father about my progress in person."

"Did you manage to get Sirius removed from House Black?" Harry asked.

Asterion nodded. "Met him in person as well, unfortunately. He was trying to remove all the money from the family vault as I was leaving. Apparently James Potter tipped him off. He was pretty ticked that he was unable to remove money due to no longer being a Black."

Harry grinned. "Proves him right. The prat called himself my godfather but he never once tried to stop James from hurting me. Idiot."

Before Asterion or Draco could respond, the common room door opened to reveal a panting Weasley twin. After taking a closer look at the Weasley twin in question, Harry came to the conclusion that it was Fred. (George had an extra smattering of freckles under his left eye.) Standing, Harry hurried over to Fred.

"What's up, Fred?" Harry asked.

Fred took a deep breath and looked around the common room. "You and the Malfoy boys need to come with me. Right away. Not only did we just find out something massive but…holy shit you need to see something."

Casting a side long glance at Draco and Asterion, Harry nodded and gestured for Fred to lead the way. Fred led them up to an empty classroom on the fourth floor. Opening the door, he ushered them inside and Harry's jaw dropped when he saw who was inside. Neville Longbottom sat next to Ron and George, speaking in low tones.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Before we explain Neville's presence you need to hear what Jamie Potter was overheard telling Dean Thomas." Ron said.

Harry took a seat on a desk. "What is the prat bragging about now?"

"Thomas was asking why James Potter was so pissed about Sirius' losing his fortune, right? Jamie got this…this look on his face and he put up a privacy ward pretty quick because we were sitting near them. Fred broke the privacy and we heard Jamie telling Thomas that his father has had Sirius Black under a mind control spell since their seventh year of school."

Harry's jaw dropped. "What in Merlin's name?"

"Apparently, Sirius and Potter got into a fight in their seventh year because James nearly killed Sirius' younger brother Regulus. Following their fight, Sirius went and spoke to his brother. Regulus talked Sirius into joining the Dark and pissed James Potter off. James and Dumbledore got together and decided to place Sirius under a mind control spell. After placing him under the spell, James forced Sirius to nearly murder his own brother as well as to finance the Light side. He's been under it all this time. Recently, though, he's been fighting the spell and Potter is thinking about just offing Sirius."

Asterion rose and hurried towards the door. "I've got to get to father. Now. If anyone asks, I was summoned to Malfoy Manor by Father and you have no clue why." He told them hurriedly.

"Sure thing Ast."

Harry felt slightly sick. All these years he'd hated his godfather for something that was essentially James Potter's fault. Bloody hell this was going to be a mess.

"Asterion and Lucius will take care of that. Thanks for telling us guys. That means a lot. All this time I've thought Sirius just didn't care what happened to me and it turns out that Potter's betrayed him as well. Now, why is Neville here?"

Ron glanced at the boy in question. Neville was looking at Harry curiously, biting his lower lip.

"I need to know something, Harry. Ron said you would know the truth."

"What is it Nev?"

"Did my parents take part in the murder of two children?" Neville's voice shook but he stared back at Harry almost defiantly.

Harry nodded. "Three technically."

Neville's eyes widened. "Three?!"

Harry took a deep breath. "Bellatrix Lestrange was pregnant. Your…your mother cast a curse on her that forced her to miscarry the unborn baby. Because of this curse, Bellatrix can no longer have children. It's…it's why Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers went after your parents."

"Dumbledore told me they were after me. That they had been sent to kill me." But Neville's voice sounded doubtful now.

Harry scoffed. "He lied. He was the one that sent your parents after the Lestrange family. In all actuality, you were never in any danger. No matter what your parents had done, even the Lestrange family couldn't hurt an innocent child. It was Bellatrix who placed you in the cupboard you were found in before she tortured your mother."

Neville looked sick. He stared at the floor, seeming to be in deep thought. When he finally spoke, his voice was decisive.

"I don't want to be Light. If they can kill three innocent children I want no part of them."

Harry smiled. "You don't have to be a part of them. You can be neutral if you'd like."

"Where's the good in that? Being neutral won't help anyone. At least if I'm Dark I can help prevent things like that from happening again."

"Then welcome to the Dark side. We have cookies." Harry joked, grinning as Neville cracked a smile.

"You're impossible, Harry." He said quietly.

"We should get back to the common room. Asterion will be back soon and I want to know what's going to be done about Sirius Black." Draco commented.

Ron nodded. "Draco's right. Plus, it's past curfew."

"We'll meet you guys by the Black Lake tomorrow at lunch." Harry told his Gryffindor friends as he turned to follow Draco out of the classroom.

"You really had no idea what Potter was doing to Black, did you?" Draco aked in a low voice as they entered the common room.

Harry shook his head, slumping onto the couch to wait for Asterion. "No. There were times when Potter seemed to…I dunno, almost resent Black. But I figured that was just Potter being an asshole."

"Regulus lives not too far from the manor. He…he's always thought his brother hated him."

Harry nodded. "I was surprised to find that Regulus was still alive. Lord Slytherin said that Regulus is one of his most loyal."

"He is. Not many people know who he really is. Aside from our family and his wife, that is."

"Who's his wife?"

Draco grinned. "He's married to a muggle, actually. They met at a muggle hospital. Apparently, she was running from her abusive husband. Regulus helped her get rid of the abusive muggle and brought her and her young son to live with him. He did it all under the nose of Dumbledore, too. Apparently, the muggle Regulus married was on Dumbledore's watch list."

"Who were they? And how did he get past whatever monitors Dumbledore has on them?"

"Regulus Black _married_ Petunia Evans. Lily Potter's sister. Before he killed the abusive muggle, he placed a powerful glamour charm on three muggles to make them look like the Dursley family. Then he killed the abusive muggle, placed memory charms on the replacement family, and left with Petunia and Dudley. Turns out that Dudley is magical. He attends Durmstrang now."

Harry laughed. "That's…brilliant. Lily Potter always complained that her sister hated magic."

Draco shook his head. "Not at all. In all truth, Petunia only hated her sister. She doesn't like to talk about why, though. Something Lily did after her sixth year, just before she started dating James Potter. Whatever it was, it was pretty bad. Petunia can't even stand the mention of Lily's name."

"I'd like to meet them. There is no love lost between Lily and I but, biologically at least, Petunia would be my aunt. It would be nice to know her." Harry said quietly.

"I'll arrange a meeting over the Christmas holidays. I'm sure she'd love to meet you. Petunia's a lovely woman, really."

"I look forward to meeting her. Lily was terrible to her. Said nasty things about her all the time. I feel bad for her." Harry said honestly.

Draco smiled. "Come on, let's head to bed. We've got to be up for classes tomorrow. We can always catch Asterion tomorrow at lunch and ask him what's going on with Sirius."

"Good idea."

Harry followed Draco up to their bedroom and got ready for bed quietly. By the time Draco shut the lights out, Harry had fallen into a rather restless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: I really, really apologize for the lateness of this particular chapter. I've been really, really busy lately! To make up for this, I've written a really long chapter for you guys and will be putting another one out soon. (Seriously, though, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. It's 10,564 words and 40 pages long. It's insane.) I've got this first book all planned out so I know exactly what's going to happen from here on out! I hope you enjoy and remember to leave a review!_

 _Ariadne_

 **Six**

Harry was in Charms class the next afternoon when he was summoned by Severus. After sharing a glance with Draco, Harry hurried down to Severus dungeon office where he was greeted by Lucius and Sirius Black. He nodded at them both, noticing the way Sirius was staring at him. Sirius looked like he wanted to cry and Harry couldn't blame him. He'd just discovered that the man he'd called his best mate for most of his life had betrayed him in the most despicable way.

"Harry." Sirius said, his voice very quiet.

"Sirius. It's good to see you."

"You don't have to say that just to humor me, you know."

Harry smiled. "I'm not. I mean it, Sirius."

"Let's sit down. I've got to tell you what's been happening." Lucius interjected, looking between them

Harry sat down and accepted a cup of tea from Severus.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Lucius sighed. "When Asterion came to tell me what Potter had been up to with Sirius, I immediately left to find Sirius. I broke Potter's mind control curse and immediately, Sirius decided he wanted Potter dead. I spent four hours convincing him to let you handle it and he finally agreed."

"Lucius took me back to Malfoy Manor and called Regulus over. I spent most of last night with my brother, talking and telling him everything." Sirius said, watching Harry as though afraid he'd be attacked.

"What are your leanings now?" Harry asked carefully.

Sirius eyes gleamed with a wicked sort of mischief. "Dark. I saw the way James acted towards you, though I couldn't do anything about it. James doesn't know what he has coming for him."

Harry smiled. "Too right he doesn't. I'd better get back to class. Owl me, Sirius. As soon as you can."

Sirius nodded. "I will kid."

Harry got up and went back to class. He'd already finished his charms for the day so he sat quietly beside Draco where the blonde was doodling on a spare piece of parchment. Professor Flitwick gave him a bright smile as he was helping Dean Thomas with a spell in the front row. Jamie Potter was trying – and failing – to get the spell right. They'd been working on levitating charms that day and Jamie Potter didn't seem to be any good at them.

It made Harry laugh that Jamie, who had always bragged about good he was at magic, couldn't even manage a levitating charm. That didn't mean he was harmless, of course. Jamie Potter was anything but harmless. Not only did he had powerful people behind him but he was very good at offensive charms like the bone breaker curse he'd sent Harry at the start of the year. When it came to the end of this war, Harry would have to train hard and fight his best.

"What do we have next, Draco?" Harry asked in a slightly bored drawl.

Draco glanced away from his conversation with Lyra. "Defense. Quirell wanted you and I to pretend to read the assignment, though. Apparently, we have something different to do." He said.

The way he said it made it sound like they merely had something harder than the other students to work on. But Harry knew that it was something much more than that in Draco's voice. Lord Slytherin had finally given them their first assignment. Harry had known that he'd be working on things in Defense Class so that the other members of Slytherin's Guild – that was the name he and the others had agreed upon for themselves – could work on things together. Professor Quirell had given them what he called a 'Pacing Test' earlier in the week to find out where everyone in class was so that he could teach based on their own personal level. It was partially a farce, of course, because he had given the Slytherin's Guild higher scores than the others. This way, they were on a separate level and could work together.

"This'll be fun, then? Wonder what our first assignment will be." Ron said from behind them.

Lyra shrugged. "Probably something to do with what we were discussing last night, I'd guess." She said vaguely.

Neville nodded. "That's what Professor Quirell said."

They entered the classroom and sat together in the back of the classroom in a set of desks that had been set away from the others a bit. Idly, Harry noticed the way they'd chosen to sit. Harry, Draco, and Neville were at the front with Lyra and Ron just behind them.

It likely didn't mean much now but it would. Harry, Draco, Ron, and Lyra were the ones who would lead the Dark eventually. Even Lord Slytherin himself had said it. When he'd named Harry his successor, his heir, he'd known that Harry would choose his own Court. And Harry had chosen. They were all so very different. Neville was the one whose parents had disgraced him, who would stand beside them with a firm back and a loyal heart until the very end. Draco was the aristocratic Dark, the one with both the power and the money to have his way. Harry was the powerful orphan with the bitter past willing to do whatever it took to obliterate his past. Neville was probably the most powerful out of all of them aside from Harry. Lyra was the one with the brains and the power to push even the hardest things forward. And Ron was the youngest son of a light family whose power would someday rival his parents'. Together, they would take the world by storm. Fred and George's roles were different, but no less important. They were the ones who'd been looked down on by their family, the ones who would someday show the world their true talents. And more would join them, others like them who wanted to find their place in the world. Harry hid a smirk as he thought about this, focusing on Professor Quirell.

Professor Quirell cast a privacy charm around the group of four and sat in a chair in front of them. When Harry looked at him, he noticed the subtle red in his eyes and knew that Lord Slytherin had decided to possess the professor to speak with them. Harry understood the meaning behind this. The Dark Lord hated possessing people over everything else. If he'd done it that meant they were about to hear something vital to their cause. Harry leaned on his desk, looking interested but not too interested. They didn't need Jamie and his band of idiots thinking they were doing exactly what they were doing.

"You can speak freely here. I have cast a privacy charm around us so that I will know if someone even attempts to get past it." Lord Slytherin said, smiling a bit.

"Thank you, my Lord." Draco said.

"If I may, my Lord?" Neville asked, bowing his head just slightly.

"Of course, young Longbottom."

"I apologize for what my parents did to you and your followers. I will never agree with what they did, my Lord, and I will make up for it in any way you deem necessary."

The Dark Lord nodded. "Thank you, young Longbottom, but it is not your debt to pay. Someday, your parents and Dumbledore will pay that debt."

Neville nodded. "Thank you."

The Dark Lord nodded. "All right now, on to business. As to your assignment, you will be working together to revise my current Dark Mark. Now, it cannot be removed for any reason by anyone other than myself. This, I've found, is a bad idea for many reasons. We need the Mark to be able to be removed by the bearer themselves in case of arrest. I intend to remove the Mark from those that have remained faithful to me these years and replace it with a new one, one they may remove in case someone suspects them." He took a deep breath. "I am researching this as well but, as you know, I only have so much time. I'm going to need your help."

Harry nodded. "We're on it, my Lord. Permission to go to the library?"

"I'll give you all slips for the Restricted Section as well. If anyone asks, you're researching Dark Curses for an essay to be turned in later this week. I will produce one for each of you, so don't actually write one."

He ended the privacy charm and led them to the front of class where he handed them each a signed slip for access to the Restricted Section in the library. Harry smirked when he saw Jamie glaring in his general direction. It was rather good to be dark, he thought laughingly.

"New Marks?" Draco whispered in a hushed voice as they hurried to the library.

Harry nodded. "He did mention that. I'd completely forgotten it until now."

"Do you think that's what he'll give us when we're marked?" Neville asked with a small smile.

Draco nodded. "I believe so. Why else have us research them? He was telling us that we're going to be among the first to get them, I believe. We'll be the youngest followers in history!"

Harry gave Draco a nod. "Yes, I believe so as well. He'll have to be incredibly careful, of course. But I think that's exactly what he's planning to do."

Lyra grinned. "That's exciting. I just hope I can get my mum and dad out of prison soon. And that we can get revenge on Dumbledore for what he caused to happen to my family."

Draco wrapped a comforting arm around his cousin's shoulders. Lyra had been devastated to find out what had happened to her family. The murders of her older brothers and younger sibling had made her cry. Though she didn't know her mother very well, they were sending letters of a sort back and forth between each other. Her father, Rudolphus Lestrange, and her uncle, Rabastan Lestrange, were nearly catatonic these days. They stayed alive only because Bellatrix was their caregiver. She fed and gave them enough magic to survive but it wasn't much of a life. Narcissa visited her sister weekly, let Bellatrix write a quick letter, and then sent it off to Lyra. Bellatrix was thrilled that her daughter had been found and that she was back where she belonged but sad that she could not see her. Narcissa promised to take both Lyra and Neville to her at Christmas.

Neville had done a complete one-eighty in the last forty-eight hours. He'd gone to the ministry and given them proof that he was being abused and told them that he wanted to be removed from his grandmother's care. The Ministry had done so and had placed him with a very willing Sirius Black. Sirius, of course, was all for Neville going to see the Lestrange family. Neville wanted to apologize for what his parents had caused, though Bellatrix had told Narcissa to relay the information that it was completely unnecessary for him to apologize.

"If Lucius goes to the Ministry next week, they'll probably be released." Neville said quietly from beside her.

Lyra nodded, not wanting to get her hopes up. Lucius had decided to go to the Ministry and apply for Bellatrix and her family to be released into his care. This was normally done with people who were reformed and so Bellatrix and the others had been on their best behavior. If Lucius was successful – and he believed that he would be – they'd be out by next week. If not, the Christmas visit was still on.

"Let's hope so. I want them back. Father and Uncle Rabastan are in terrible shape and mother is in pain too. I just want my mum and dad." Lyra said miserably as they reached the library.

Draco and Harry looked at each other. "You'll get them back, Lyra. Even if we have to break them out." Harry said quietly.

Everyone but Draco gave him a look of surprise. Draco knew that Harry was serious. He also knew that Harry would do it if it came to it. He glanced at the others, his eyes very serious, and headed into the library to begin their research into the new marks.

They spent the rest of the hour in the library. At the end of it, they brought their research back to Professor Quirell who promised to bring them to Lord Slytherin as soon as he could. Together, they headed to lunch and decided to sit together at the Gryffindor table. Harry was going to suggest that they sit at the Slytherin table but the promise of irritating Potter was too much to resist. They took seats together and started piling food onto their plates.

"Get off our table Death Eater scum." Came Potter's sneering voice from behind them.

Harry didn't bother to look at him. "It's in the school handbook that we can sit anywhere we like at the breakfast and lunch time meals." He said.

"Not when I'm at this table you won't."

Lyra glared at him. "Shut up and go sit with your own friends, Potter. We're not interested in sparring with you now."

"I'll do no such thing."

"Get outta here Potter."

Harry grinned at the sound of Fred and George's mingled voices. They took seats at the table in front of Harry, their identical faces grinning.

"Fred, George. Fancy seeing you here." Harry said, grinning.

The twins smirked at him. "Likewise Harry."

Resolving to ignore Jamie, Harry faced Fred and George and smiled at them.

"How are your mornings?" Harry asked.

Fred smiled. "Good thus far. What about you? Any dealings with the dark today?" he asked, grinning.

Harry laughed. "Oh, sure. I just had a meeting with Voldemort himself." He said, chuckling.

Fred understood the truth behind the joke. "How fun." He said, laughing.

Lyra rolled her eyes at them. "Would the lot of you be quiet? Some people are going to think you're serious." She said.

Jamie Potter once again stuck his beak in. "He probably is. Slimy little Slytherin." He sneered.

Harry smiled. "Whatever you want to believe." He said cheerfully and Jamie growled.

"It's no wonder mum and dad didn't want you, you're despicable." Potter ground out, his teeth gritted in anger.

It was Neville who rolled his eyes this time. "Right now, Jamie Potter, you're the one who isn't wanted."

Potter flicked a glance at Neville, his gaze darkening. "You're seriously choosing him over me? He's a slimy, dark, Slytherin Nev. You can't be serious."

"Well, at least he's not a bullying arsehole." Neville said with a slight shrug.

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "You heard him, Potter. Now run along." He told his former twin coldly amid the laughter of his friends.

But Jamie Potter only took a seat across from Harry, directly next to Ron. Ron scowled and edged away from him, meeting Harry's annoyed gaze. Beside Harry, Draco was watching Potter with a faintly amused look. Recognizing the look as the one Draco wore right before he delivered one of his biting insults, Harry began to smirk.

"You're just like your mudblood mother, Potter. You never know when you're not wanted."

Potter's eyes narrowed in hatred and he pulled out his wand, pointing it at Draco. He'd barely even moved, however, when Ron pointed his own wand into Potter's side. Ron whispered something, too low for the others to hear, but whatever it was caused Potter to get up and stalk away angrily. Harry rolled his eyes, grinning at Ron and Draco.

"Merlin, he's such a prat." Harry said.

Fred and George nodded, rolling their eyes. "He's approached us several times in the hallway between classes." They said.

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

George shrugged. "To brag, mostly."

"Also to tell us that he's written to our parents. Which doesn't worry us all that much."

Lyra glanced between them. "Why doesn't that bother you?"

Ron grinned. "Bill sent a letter last night. He said that, should our parents decide to try keeping us away from you guys, he would petition for custody of Fred, George, Ginny, and me. He's moving back to Britain soon and he's prepared to get custody of us."

George laughed. "He even said that Charlie's willing to come back and help him take care of us if need be."

Draco smiled. "Well, if he needs help getting custody of you, all he'd have to do is ask my father. He'd be happy to help him get custody."

Before anyone could reply, there was a tap on Harry's shoulder. Preparing himself in case Jamie Potter had returned to give him more grief, Harry turned around. Thankfully, it was not Jamie. Instead, Percy Weasley stood behind him with another boy. The other boy had short dark hair and hazel eyes. Harry recognized him as Oliver Wood, a pureblood wizard whose parents had always been fairly neutral.

"Percy. What's wrong?" Ron asked, noticing that his older brother looked slightly nervous.

"I need to talk to the lot of you…in private." Percy said in a shaky voice, his eyes flitting around the table.

Harry nodded, rising to his feet. There was something about the way Percy was looking at them that reminded him of, well, himself. Percy looked terrified. His hands were shaking and he kept stealing glances at Oliver.

"Come on. We were mostly finished eating anyways." Harry said, yawning.

Percy and Oliver fell into step behind them as they led the way towards the seventh floor. There was a special room on this floor called the Come and Go room. This room would become anything you needed it to be. He'd heard James Potter telling Jamie about it and knew that it was perfect for Harry's current needs. Pacing in front of the door, Harry waited until a door appeared before pulling it open. After ushering everyone inside, Harry stepped inside himself and went to stand next to Draco.

"What's going on, Perce?" Ron asked his older brother.

Percy sighed and rolled up the sleeve of his robes. Holding out his arm, the young red haired teen allowed them to see the silver bracelet that adorned his wrist. Upon seeing it, the other Weasley brothers gave a sharp intake of breath. Harry too recognized the bracelet. It was a simple silver bracelet with a diamond heart in the very center of it. Just looking at it, most people would think that it was just an elegant piece of jewelry given as a gift. Harry recognized it for what it was. It was a Cor Peccatoris, Sinner's Heart, one of the rarest pieces of jewelry in the Wizarding World. They were originally made in Spain in the 1600s by a man named Fernando Escobar. He enchanted them with a spell that would cause extreme pain when the wearer encountered a certain sin. Homosexuality was the most common sin found in these bracelets. That Percy wore one spoke volumes about Molly and Arthur Weasley.

"Which of your parents put this on you?" Harry asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"Mother did. With Dumbledore's help, I think. I couldn't really see or hear him so I can't accurately identify him. But I know Mother was involved." Percy said.

Oliver made a low noise and clenched his hands into fists. "Neither of us realized what it was until yesterday morning. We were doing some research into what kinds of things could harm Percy whenever we touched and this was the only thing that fit."

Harry glanced at Percy. "Will Bill be home at this hour?" he asked.

Percy nodded. "Of course, He works the night shift in Egypt so he's normally always home during the day."

Harry looked at Draco. "I'm going to ask the Room for two fireplaces. I need you to contact your father using one of them while I get a hold of Bill Weasley. Tell your father to come through as soon as possible."

Draco nodded, recognizing the seriousness of the situation.

Two fireplaces appeared along a wall nearby and Harry walked towards one. Behind him, he could hear Fred and George explaining everything to Percy and Oliver. Their voices mingled and he smiled a bit before throwing a bit of Floo Powder into the fireplace.

Stepping inside, he called out, "Weasley Residence, Egypt!"

Green flames flickered around his body and he disappeared, reappearing in a small living room. Thankfully, Harry didn't have to go searching for the eldest Weasley. Bill was sitting on an armchair near the fire, reading a book. He looked up when Harry stepped through the fire.

"Who are you?" Bill asked, not seeming worried.

"Harry Malfoy. I've no time to explain right now. I need you to come through the fireplace to Hogwarts, the Room of Requirement to be precise. Percy is in trouble and we need your help."

Bill rose quickly. "After you, then." He said, pocketing his wand.

Thanking Merlin that Bill wasn't the type to bandy about demanding answers, Harry stepped back into the fireplace and returned to the Room with Bill on his heels. When they returned, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were already there. Lucius was inspecting the bracelet on Percy's wrist, his face set in a dark scowl. Narcissa spared Harry a rare smile but quickly turned to Percy again.

"What's going on?" Bill asked, quickly assessing the situation and realizing that it was quite serious.

"Your mother has done the unthinkable, Mr. Weasley." Lucius said, glancing at the Eldest Weasley brother.

"What has she done, Mr. Malfoy?" Bill asked in a barely level voice.

"She's placed a Cor Peccatoris bracelet on Percy's wrist." Narcissa said, gesturing the silver band on Percy's wrist.

Bill took a deep breath. "They've been outlawed for centuries!" He said angrily.

"Mother obviously cares more about the fact that I'm gay than she does about potentially going to Azkaban." Percy said, his hands clenched into fists.

"I hate to ask this, Mr. Malfoy, but can you possibly accompany Percy and I to the Ministry? I'm going to file for full permanent custody of my brothers and sister. As well as file charges against Mother." Bill asked.

"Call me Lucius, please. And of course I will."

"Come on Percy. We'll need you to come with us." Bill said, glancing at his brother.

Percy nodded. "All right."

Looking at the other Weasley's in the room, Bill spoke again. "Ron, Fred, George, I need you to stick together from now on. Merlin only knows how Dumbledore is going to react when he receives news of what's happened and I don't want any of you caught unawares. None of you are to be alone with him. If he asks you to go to his office, I want you to immediately find Professor Snape and alert him to what's happening."

Fred and George nodded. "All right. Be careful, Bill."

Bill nodded, following Lucius and Narcissa over to the fireplace. Once Lucius and Narcissa had Flooed over to the Ministry, Bill ushered Percy ahead of him and quickly followed. Left alone again, Harry walked over to what remained of the Weasley's.

"I want you to stay clear of Jamie Potter for a while. Once it comes out that you've chosen to live with Bill, your mother is going to immediately write to James and Lily. I know my former parents and I am not lying when I tell you that they are going to write to Jamie. Or possibly come and see him. Stay away from him. Whether he's going to attempt to persuade you into turning your back on your brother or attack you, I couldn't say. But I don't want to have to retaliate." Harry told them firmly.

Draco stepped forward, looking at the Weasley's as well. "The same goes for Dumbledore. If he summons you to his office, immediately go to Severus. Or to McGonagall. Contrary to popular belief, the Head of Gryffindor is not as Light as she seems. Should Dumbledore attempt anything, she will stop him before he's even started." Draco said smoothly.

Before any of the Weasley's could react, there was a knock at the door. Raising their wands, the group called for whoever had come to the door to come in. The door opened and Minerva McGonagall slid into the Room of Requirement, her face set in a determined line and her back very rigid. Behind her, to even Harry's shock, was Lord Slytherin's spirit. Harry stared, open mouthed at the Deputy Headmistress. Though he had heard the rumors that McGonagall was not a member of the Light community, he hadn't actually believed them. She was thought by many to be Dumbledore's right hand. Even James and Lily Potter had always raved about all the good things she'd done for the Light.

"Close your mouth, Harry. You'll catch flies." Said Professor McGonagall easily, grinning at him.

Harry closed his mouth as she turned towards the door, casting spells at it. They all recognized four privacy wards and at least two secrecy wards. When she was satisfied that she'd sufficiently protected them from the prying eyes of Albus Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall turned and conjured herself a chair. Doing as she had, the assembled members of Slytherin's Guild did the same.

"Professor McGonagall…do you…erm…realize who is just behind you?" Ron asked, looking between Lord Slytherin and his Head of House.

Lord Slytherin smirked at her. "They don't believe the rumors, my love." He said, grinning when Harry gasped.

"She's your Second Wife!" He burst out, looking at his mentor.

The Weasley's looked at him. "Second Wife?" They asked.

Lord Slytherin smiled. "Actually, Harry, Minerva was my first wife. We married when we were sixteen years old. She decided, not long after, that she would appear to become angry with me. Thus, Dumbledore encouraged her to join his Order of the Phoenix and she was able to effectively spy for me. It worked for many years. Unfortunately, Dumbledore didn't tell even Minerva about the attack he'd planned on my second wife and daughter. She was unable to come to me and warn me about what was to happen."

Professor McGonagall glared. "I nearly killed Albus Bloody Dumbledore for the blatant murder of my sister-wife. Her name, for those that don't know, was Rosalie Whit. She was my best friend all through Hogwarts, though she was a Slytherin. She married Tom not long after I did and we were happy. Ours was a true three-way marriage and I loved her every bit as much as Tom did. When Tom and I had our son, she was by my bedside though she was very nearly ready to go into labor herself. And when our son died a week after his birth, she was there to help us with the funeral arrangements. And, though she was married to both of us, Rose had absolutely no part in the war." She took a deep breath. "Rose was happy to be a housewife and mother. She was happy to bear us heirs and to love and support us. She was never involved in the war. Dumbledore's attack on her was wholly unprovoked. She…could not have deserved what happened to her. And Isabella, our daughter, deserved it even less. Bella had just graduated from Hogwarts. She hadn't even chosen her career yet." Professor McGonagall's face darkened then, and she fell silent.

Lord Slytherin smiled sadly. "Minerva and I heard that you were meeting in here and decided to join you. The Gryffindor members of Slytherin's Guild should feel free as of now to go to Minerva when – if – the Headmaster summons them. She will protect them to the best of her very capable abilities."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Yes. While I will still be undercover until Dumbledore has been brought down, I will be readily available to protect any and all members of Slytherin's Guild at any moment necessary."

"Which will soon become a very big job." Lord Slytherin said.

Harry frowned. "Why is that, sir?"

"I want you to expand your ranks starting immediately. Talk to anyone the group of you thinks may be willing to at least hear us out. We will start holding meetings here in the Room of Requirement every Friday evening. Bring any new members along with you. Their year doesn't matter and neither does their house alliance." Lord Slytherin instructed smoothly.

Harry looked at his own group and nodded. "We can do that."

Fred grinned, looking at Oliver Wood who was standing between the twins with an expression of dawning comprehension on his face.

"Judging by the look on Oliver's face, we can assume he's realized who you are, Lord Slytherin." George said, grinning like mad.

Oliver nodded, also smiling a bit. "My mother is Helena Whit. At least, her maiden name was Whit. She was the far younger sister of Lord Slytherin's first wife. I've been told all about Tom…erm…Lord Slytherin. She's incredibly fond of him and has been terrified that he's truly dead. As has my father."

Lord Slytherin considered him for a long moment. "Your father, his name is Ross Wood, is it not?" He asked.

Oliver nodded. "Yes. That's my dad. He's an Unspeakable. Actually, he's Croaker's second in command."

Lord Slytherin grinned. "I would love it if you would tell your parents that I am indeed alive and will be soon back be among the corporeal very soon. Ross and Helena have always been very close friends of mine." He said.

Oliver nodded, looking at Harry. "I realize that Slytherin's Guild is supposed to be an invitation only group but…can I join?" He asked.

Harry nodded. "We would be glad to have you. In fact, since we've just received orders to begin expansion, you may begin to recruit people along with the rest of us. Simply keep the knowledge of this group from anyone associated with Jamie Potter. My former twin will gladly turn you in to Dumbledore or curse you in the back without a second thought." Harry said.

Oliver frowned. "He'd…curse someone in the back?!" He exclaimed. "But that's a coward's way out!"

Draco scoffed. "The day James Potter disowned Harry, Jamie Potter cast the Bone Breaker Curse at Harry's back. My older brother very nearly killed him for it." He said.

Harry grinned. "Asterion did look pretty pissed."

"And he wasn't anything compared to how angry my mother was. Mother was furious. It took Father a lot of persuasion to convince her to not come down to the school to throw curses at James Potter and his son." Draco said with a small smile.

Professor McGonagall looked horrified. "For Merlin's sake!" She burst out, glancing at Lord Slytherin. "I've always known that James Potter was a bloody prat but it's looking like his son is going to be worse than he was. I think it's time that I sent a letter to Charlus and Dorea." She said.

Harry was confused. "They're dead, aren't they? That's why James Potter is the Head of Potter House."

Professor McGonagall laughed. "Charlus and Dorea are still very much alive and well. Charlus is still Acting Head of Potter House. There are some duties that James has been able to assume but Charlus still has final say in everything. Charlus is James' paternal grandfather. Fleamont and Euphemia, James' parents, died before Jamie and Harry were born under very suspicious circumstances after they very publicly declared themselves against Dumbledore." She smiled. "Charlus and I are old friends. He's been looking for a reason to disinherit James. While he cannot disown him right away, Charlus can decide on a new heir and effectively disown James and his wife and child."

Lord Slytherin hummed in agreement. "Tell him what his grandson has been up to. Suggest to him that he name Harry as his heir. While Harry may, of course, remain a Malfoy, he will inherit the vast Potter Fortune and social standings."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "I daresay I shall do exactly that. Charlus was furious with James for disowning Harry. Harry was the only one that Charlus actually approved of. He's found Jamie to rather lacking." She said.

Draco nodded. "He was friends with my grandfathers, Cygnus Black and Abraxas Malfoy. I met him, however briefly at their funerals. He's a very calm man, though intelligent and very kind. He's also friends with my father. They meet a few times a month for tea."

Harry grinned. "If you can convince him to disown James, Lily, and their atrocious offspring, I would be pleased to be named his heir."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "I'll send him a note this evening, asking if he'd mind if I popped in for dinner with he and Dorea."

"Good idea, Professor."

Professor McGonagall glanced at her watch. "Now, I believe the young Malfoys and Miss Lestrange here have an appointment with the elder Malfoy's this evening. We've talked for quite a while. You may want to go and get ready." She told them.

Draco nodded. "We shall." He said.

Turning to the group, Harry gave his orders for the night. The members of Slytherin's Guild stood straight and proud as they listened intently to his orders.

"I want all of you to spend the evening recruiting possible new members. It's a Friday evening and I suspect Lord Slytherin may call upon us for a meeting when we return from dinner. Be very careful about who you talk to and where you talk to them. Make sure you cast secrecy wards to keep them from being able to tell anyone. If you don't know how to cast a secrecy ward, ask one of the Weasley twins. They're both adept at them and will be more than happy to help you if need it." Harry instructed.

Ron nodded. "Got it."

Harry turned to Lyra. "Draco and I will meet you in the Entrance Hall, Lyra."

The girl nodded. "All right."

Together, Harry and Draco hurried down to their dorm to get properly dressed and cleaned up for dinner with the Malfoy parents. On their way, they passed Asterion who was seated in the Slytherin Common Room, already dressed in formal robes. His longish blonde hair was pulled back in an elegant ponytail and he smirked at them as they entered. Draco rolled his eyes and cocked an eyebrow at his brother.

"Asterion, you're a Ravenclaw." He said.

Asterion grinned. "That I am, little brother."

"How in Merlin's name do you keep getting into Slytherin Common Room? It's normally all but impossible for someone from another house to get in here. You usually have to use polyjuice potion – or a very good glamour – to make yourself look like a fellow Slytherin in order to get in."

Asterion shrugged one shoulder. "I have my ways." He said, grinning.

Draco rolled his eyes again. "We're going to get dressed now."

Asterion waved them away and they walked into their dorm. As he dug through his trunk in search of anything resembling formal robes, Harry noticed a set of brand new formal robes laying on his bed. They were a deep green color trimmed in silver. Next to them was a pair of black leather formal shoes. Lying on top of the robes was a short note.

 _Harry,_

 _Consider this my first gift you, godson. I purchased these when Lucius told me that he was taking you and the other Malfoy children out to dinner. I hope you like them and wear them with pride._

 _Your dogfather,_

 _Sirius Black._

Harry grinned as he donned the robes. They fit perfectly and looked very elegant on him. Sighing, he walked over to a mirror and ran a comb through his hair. He cursed James Potter, though, when all his hair did was continue to stick up in every direction.

"Come here, Harry." Draco said from the other mirror.

Harry walked over to where Draco was standing. Draco stood behind him and reached for a potion bottle. Rubbing some of the minty smelling concoction through Harry's hair, Draco ran a brush through. Amazingly, the hair lay flat and neat against Harry's head. Harry was astonished and Draco smirked at him.

"I'll tell Severus to make you some of this." Draco said. "He invented it himself. It's a hair tonic that helps make your hair behave. I use it on the mornings I don't shower before getting dressed."

"My hair has never done this. Severus is brilliant."

Draco grinned. "Let's go. Mother and Father are most likely already waiting for us. And I think they've probably brought Nash and Orion as well."

"Who are Nash and Orion?" Harry asked.

Draco grinned. "My little brothers. They're six years old and they're the most adorable little brats ever. Though, I think they're doomed to spend their Hogwarts days in Gryffindor or possibly Ravenclaw."

Asterion met them in the Common Room. "If you're wondering, Mother and Father have indeed brought the twins. They were going to leave them with Regulus and Petunia but we've decided to make this a family affair and so they've all come along. Even Sirius is coming, I believe."

Harry smiled. "Brilliant!"

They'd arrived in the Entrance Hall then. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy stood in front of an annoyed looking Dumbledore. At their feet were two little boys with blonde hair, blue eyes, and rather wicked looking grins.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow this excursion, Lucius." Dumbledore was saying. "It is far too dangerous to have the children out of school."

Harry expected Lucius to respond. Instead, it was Narcissa who spoke. Her voice held a hint of disdain and she did not bother to hide the utter loathing on her face.

"Are you telling us that we cannot protect our children, Albus?" she demanded smoothly. "Because I can assure you that our children are quite safe with us."

Dumbledore frowned. "It is too dangerous. I cannot allow you to take these children off school grounds." He turned to Harry, Draco, Asterion, and the recently arrived Lyra. "Go back to your common rooms. You won't be leaving the castle this evening."

They did not move. Lucius rolled his eyes as Severus walked towards them, also wearing formal robes.

"Is something wrong?" Severus asked, coming to stand behind Harry and Draco.

"I must insist that you cancel this evening out. It is far too dangerous for you to take the children out of the castle after dark." Dumbledore insisted yet again.

Severus looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. He didn't. "Headmaster, there will be no less than five trained wizards at dinner this evening. Regulus' wife, though she is a muggle, carries a deadly weapon on her person at all times. I assure you that it will be quite safe."

"Nevertheless, we must not take any chances."

Lucius' patience finally snapped. Looking towards his children, he spoke in a calm voice.

"Go pack your trunks, children. We're removing you from Hogwarts effective immediately." He said.

Dumbledore looked shocked. "There is really no need for that!" He said.

"Indeed, Dumbledore?" Lucius spoke evenly. "It is entirely necessary. You are attempting to keep these children from their family."

"The Potters are coming this evening to spend time with young Harry here. The Grangers, Hermione's muggle family, are also coming. I must insist you leave these two behind." Dumbledore tried.

It was Lyra who spoke, venom lacing her every word. "My name is Lyra Talitha Lestrange and those idiot muggles are not my family. And Harry has no wish to see or speak to the Potters. We will not be staying behind so that you can manipulate us."

Narcissa placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "If you wish for the Malfoy and Lestrange children – Harry included – to remain in Hogwarts then you will cease this pointless maneuvering immediately. We will all be leaving to have dinner together this evening whether you like it or not." She said firmly.

Dumbledore sighed in obvious defeat. "Very well." He said, waving a hand at them dismissively. "Have a pleasant evening."

"We will, Albus." Severus couldn't resist saying.

They departed together then, laughing and joking amongst themselves. When they came to the front gates, they were met by three other people. One of these people was very obviously Sirius Black. The other man waiting for them looked remarkably like Sirius. His hair reached his shoulders and his grey eyes were lit with amusement. On his arm was a rather pretty woman with long blonde hair and green eyes. Petunia Evans-Black looked nothing like Lily Potter had said she did. Lily had always claimed that her sister was an ugly, horse-faced woman who always looked disgusted. Instead, Petunia was very pretty, prettier than her sister even because of the warm and kind smile on her face.

Regulus smirked. "Trouble with Dumbledore?" He asked.

Lucius nodded, rolling his eyes. "He thought he could force us to cancel our evening." He said disdainfully.

Severus, though, was frowning. "He gave in far too easily, though."

Sirius' eyes flicked to him. "Did he?"

Severus nodded, deep in thought. "Yes. Usually, when he's determined to get something, Albus does not give in that easily. He's up to something tonight."

Regulus looked worried. "Should we cancel dinner? This doesn't sound promising."

"Yeah. I heard that James and Lily are going to be at the castle tonight. Whatever business they have with Dumbledore can't be good." Sirius said, glancing at Lucius.

Harry shook his head. "No. We're not giving them that kind of power. We have a very, very important spy in the castle. Three of them, actually. If anything happens, one of them will let us know."

"So, Minerva told you her secret did she?" Severus asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. And I know we can trust her to keep an eye on things. If anything goes wrong, she will alert us immediately."

Lucius gave a short nod. "Then let's go. We're going to London, so we'll be side-along apparating."

Asterion looked interested. "Does that mean we're going to Greengrass Family Restaurant?"

Narcissa grinned. "Yes, that's where we've decided to go for the evening."

Harry was suddenly very interested. He'd heard of Greengrass Family Restaurant before, of course. Everyone in the Wizarding Britain had. It was the best family style restaurant in Wizarding Britain. They had a large play area for children and a comfortable dining area in which the adults could sit to watch the children. James and Lily had taken Jamie there several times, leaving Harry to be taken care of by the house elves. This wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that the house elves had orders to make Harry as miserable as possible. This would be Harry's first time going there.

The adults coordinated together to take the children by side-along. Regulus took Petunia and Lyra with him, as Petunia could not apparate. Harry was taken by Severus. Draco went with his father. The twins were taken by Severus and Sirius. (They had to be first convinced that they would see each other again in just a moment before Nash and Orion would consent to being taken separately.) And Asterion revealed that he'd already taken his apparation test – a whole year and a half early – by apparating himself.

Greengrass Family Restaurant was a large stone building at the very end of Diagon Alley. It was owned by Malachi and Serena Greengrass, the pureblood parents of Daphne and Astoria Greengrass. Lucius smiled at Harry as he opened the door, holding it as they all filed in. A young brunette was standing at the hosts desk. She offered a smile and counted out menus.

"Would you like to be seated in the lounge area?" She asked.

Narcissa smiled. "Yes, please."

As a group, they followed her back to a large, comfortable looking lounge area. There was a small play area inside and Nash took off for it at once, Orion hot on his heels. Harry, Draco, and Lyra seated themselves with the adults as Asterion strode off in the direction of his little brothers.

"We'll have eleven butterbeers, please." Lucius said, smiling at a young waiter that had joined them as they seated.

"I'll be right back." The man said, disappearing.

Harry glanced at his menu, noticing that Draco had already closed his.

"You've never been here, have you Harry?" Draco asked him.

Harry shook his head. "The Potters took Jamie here quite often. I was always left at home with the house elves who had instructions to make me as miserable as possible." He admitted softly.

Draco growled. "Bloody idiots." He muttered. Looking at Harry, he said, "I'd recommend the spaghetti. It's very filling and delicious."

Narcissa grinned. "Draco just likes it because all you can eat garlic bread comes with the spaghetti and he's in love with their garlic bread." She said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's good." He pointed out, causing everyone to laugh.

Harry closed his menu. If Draco suggested the spaghetti then that's what he'd get. He trusted Draco and, besides, nothing else looked very good anyways. A few seconds later, the waiter came back and took their orders.

"Severus tells me that you've recruited Neville Longbottom, Harry." Lucius said, leaning back in his chair.

Harry nodded. "We were friends growing up. He doesn't like Jamie – or his parents – any more than I do. He also had no idea what his parents did to the Lestrange family. When he found out, he was quite eager to join us."

Draco smiled. "Lord Slytherin approves as well." He said.

Lucius' eyes widened considerably at this. "You've spoken with him?" He asked.

"Yes. He's currently residing in Hogwarts. He's been in close contact with me since summer. He's…taken me on as an apprentice." Harry admitted.

Severus gasped. "Are you serious?" Asked the Potions Master incredulously.

"Very. He's named me as his heir both magically and otherwise."

Lucius and Regulus choked on their drinks at that. Draco and Harry grinned at each other. They'd been betting on how their parents would react to that. Harry now owed Draco twenty galleons because it had been Lucius, not Sirius, to choke on his drink.

"That's…incredible." Regulus said.

Petunia frowned. "Who exactly is Lord Slytherin?" She asked.

Regulus leaned toward her, whispering something in her ear. Her face lit with understanding and she smiled.

"Ah. I can see why they are so surprised. I'm not that surprised, however." She said.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

Petunia grinned at him. "I met you once, when you were only a baby. At the time, I was still married to Vernon and Lily was trying to pawn you off on me. I wanted to take you, to get you away from her, but Vernon wouldn't have it. Still, even as a baby, I knew you were going to be incredibly talented. I felt your magic." She said.

Harry frowned. "How can you feel magic if you're a muggle?"

Regulus' face darkened. "She wasn't always a muggle. She was born a witch, like Lily. In fact, she attended Beauxbatons in her first and second years. But Lily, the little bitch, was jealous because Petunia was more powerful and popular than Lily was. She convinced Dumbledore to sneak into the Evans' home one night and bind Petunia's magic." He explained.

Harry frowned. "It can be unbound, though."

Petunia nodded. "We're working on it. But Dumbledore bound it very tightly. We have to do it very slowly in order for all of my magic to be released." She explained.

Harry bit his lower lip. "I'll talk to Lord Slytherin about this. He's very good at binding and unbinding magic. I'm certain there's something he can do to help."

Lucius frowned. "But…Lord Slytherin is just a shade now." He said.

Harry smirked. "That won't be true for very much longer. He's got plans in the works – plans I'm helping with – to restore himself very, very soon. Once he's been restored, I believe he will help Aunt Petunia. Dumbledore did something similar with someone Lord Slytherin cared for and he couldn't unbind the man's magic until it was too late. He spent decades learning everything he can about the process."

Aunt Petunia's eyes filled with tears. "Are you certain?"

Draco nodded. "I believe so. I've met him a couple times now and he is very kind. Nothing like Dumbledore portrays him. If he can help you in any way, he will."

"If he can give Pet her magic back, we would be forever in his debt. I don't mind her being non-magical but I know she misses her magic. To see her so lost is heartbreaking." Regulus said, kissing his wife's temple gently.

"I'll talk to him when I get a chance." Harry said.

"Thank you, Harry. That…means a lot to me." Petunia said.

Harry smiled. "It's my pleasure Aunt Petunia. After all, we have a common enemy here. Lily would have had the same thing done to me if she could have. But Dumbledore steadfastly refused to bind my magic."

Sirius grinned. "I broke the mind control spell for a while when I heard Lily talking to him about it. He considered it, at first. But I made it clear to him, in private, that I would kill him if he tried. James ended up reinforcing the spell afterwards, though."

"How would you have killed him if you were under a spell?" Harry asked.

Sirius smirked. "James made the mistake of making me your magical godfather. My will was, at the time, stronger than his. After James realized this, though, he got Lupin to place a mind control spell of his own. I couldn't break two spells." Sirius said.

Severus gaped. "Lupin placed you under a mind control spell?" He asked, a bit incredulous.

Sirius chuckled darkly. "Don't tell me you bought into his whole gentle werewolf persona." He said.

Severus shook his head. "Not entirely. But it just doesn't seem like something Lupin would do."

"Remus Lupin is every bit as dangerous as James Potter. More so, in my opinion." Harry said, remembering the pain he'd endured at the werewolf's hand.

Draco glanced at him. "What did he do to you?"

"There were times, when James himself wasn't home, that he trusted my…care…to Lupin. Lupin was only too happy to torture me. Only, he had a different way of torturing me than James did. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Remus Lupin has done what very few werewolves aside from Greyback have done. He's mastered transforming when there isn't a full moon. When I misbehaved or did anything that he didn't like, he would transform and use his werewolf body to hurt me." Harry shuddered. "His bites didn't change me into a werewolf myself because the venom used to transform humans was not present unless it was a full moon. But they hurt like hell."

Sirius growled. "He did…what?"

Regulus laid a restraining hand on his brother's arm. "Siri, what Remus has done is indeed deplorable. But you mustn't attack him for it just yet. If what Harry says is correct, Lord Slytherin will have a body soon enough and then we will go about righting the wrongs. Right now, you must stay calm." He said.

Sirius nodded. "You're right." He looked up, meeting Harry's eyes. "Merlin, Harry, I'm sorry. If I'd known what he was doing, it would have been enough to break those mind control spells." He said.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Sirius. That's why you **didn't** know. Lupin and Potter knew that your bond with me was stronger than their spells. They knew that your need to protect me would overpower them. That's why James Potter kept me as his son for so bloody long. I think he was aware that disowning me would cause you to break the mind control." Harry said.

Severus nodded. "He's right, Black. This is not your fault. You broke the mind control in time to keep Harry safe when it really mattered."

"True."

The conversation fell silent for a moment. Asterion appeared again and sat down.

"What'd you order for the boys and I?" He asked his father.

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Manicotti, of course. Same thing the three of you always get."

Asterion smiled. "Good." He turned to Sirius. "I was going to ask you, Sirius, about the Head of House Black. The title is rightfully yours. If you want it, I would be glad to hand it over to you."

Sirius wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You can rest assured that I want absolutely nothing to do with that title. You're doing a better job than I ever could at it." He said.

"Fair enough. Though I did send a letter to Gringotts telling them to allow you access into the vaults. Now that you are no longer being controlled by James Potter, I see no reason to keep you out of the vaults."

As Sirius and Asterion discussed House Black business, Petunia turned to Harry. "So, what is your favorite subject, Harry?" She asked.

"Truthfully, it's the Dark Arts. But, since that isn't taught at Hogwarts, Defense is fun."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What's so fun about Defense?" He asked.

"For starters, it's absolutely hilarious that the Light honestly believes some of the drivel they spout in that class. Most of their 'lessons' wouldn't save a puppy much less protect a young wizard from the Dark Arts." Harry paused. "Besides, it's good to know what your enemy knows. You have better chances at defeating them that way."

Petunia nodded. "I liked the Dark Arts too. There was a small class on it in Beauxbatons and it was my favorite."

Regulus grinned. "We met her Dark Arts professor in Diagon Alley not too long ago. He said Petunia was the best student he'd had in years."

Petunia grinned. "I did excel in that class. I was also good at charms, of course, but everyone knows that."

Harry was about to respond when a lion patronus appeared in front of him. Not recognizing the patronus, Harry waited for it to speak. It stood still for a moment before opening its mouth.

"Harry. Sirius. You must return to the school. Neville has been attacked." Professor McGonagall's voice said, her words laced with anger and fear.

Harry, Draco, and Lyra glanced at each other. Had this been what Dumbledore and the Potters had gotten up to while Harry was out? Harry loosed a growl and stood, Draco already rising beside him. Severus, Sirius, and Asterion rose as well. Sirius, who was Neville's guardian, had a hard look on his face.

"Come." Severus said, offering his arm to Harry.

Harry took his arm and glanced at Lucius. "Follow after us as quickly as possible. We don't know what's happened and we may need your help." He said.

Lucius nodded. "I'll pay for our meals and we'll follow right behind you." He looked at Regulus and Petunia. "Regulus, get Petunia and the twins to the manor and join us. Your assistance may yet be needed."

Harry saw Regulus nod before Severus apparated them away. They came to stand just outside the front gates of Hogwarts. Moving at a pace near a run, Harry headed straight for the school, the others on his heels. Hatred for Dumbledore burned within him as he ran. If this had been Dumbledore's doing. If he had hurt Neville on purpose simply for the fact that he'd chosen Harry over the Potter brat, the old coot was going to know the meaning of pain.

Finally coming to stop outside of the infirmary, Harry waited for Sirius to join him and then wrenched open the door. Neville lay on a bed near the door, unconscious. Standing at his bedside was a strained looking Augusta Longbottom. Dumbledore stood at the foot of the bed, engaged in a heated looking whispered argument with Madam Pomfrey.

"What is the meaning of this, Dumbledore?" Sirius growled out.

Dumbledore looked shocked. "Sirius, my boy, what are you doing here?"

"My ward has been attacked. What do you **think** I'm doing here?" Sirius snarled.

"Now, Sirius, Augusta has been informed of the incident. As she is his grandmother, we have decided to take Neville back into her care, at Longbottom Hall."

"Too bad for her then. I have full legal custody, Dumbledore. And I'm not giving it back to a woman who allowed him to be abused." Sirius growled, his grey eyes focused on the old man in front of him.

"That was a misunderstanding, my boy."

Sirius growled. "I am not your boy, Dumbledore. I am Neville's guardian. I should have been contacted immediately." He looked at Augusta Longbottom. "I seem to recall Neville asking for – and being granted – a restraining order against you Madam Longbottom. If you are not out of this hospital wing in the next ten seconds, I'm calling the Aurors." He told her.

"Now, look here Black…" Madam Longbottom went rigid, her eyes glinting with anger.

Sirius cut her off. "Get. Out."

Dumbledore looked at Sirius, his gaze hard. "Mr. Black. You're not in charge here. You have no right to order people about in this school."

"Then I'll take Neville home. Regardless, that woman will get away from Neville before I call in the Aurors. She was warned that breaking the restraining order would land her in Azkaban."

Dumbledore made to speak but Augusta shook her head. "I will go Headmaster." She said.

When she was gone, Sirius looked at Madam Pomfrey. "What can you tell me, Poppy?" He asked her.

She glared at Dumbledore. "I apologize, Sirius. I was in the process of alerting you when Albus entered with Madam Longbottom." She said first. Then, "Neville seems to have been stunned before he was attacked. He has six broken ribs, someone was kicking him rather forcefully in the side. He has a concussion as well, though it is minor and will likely work itself out by morning." She paused, considering her next words. "Someone has attempted to obliviate him as well. Though I don't know how well the obliviation has held."

Severus stepped forward and whispered something in Sirius' ear. Sirius nodded.

"Severus is going to run a few scans of his own." Sirius said to Madam Pomfrey.

She nodded. "That's fine. A new set of eyes is always welcome and I trust Severus' abilities."

Severus pulled out his wand and waved it over Neville's body. Whatever result he got, it was obvious that Severus wasn't pleased with it. He scowled, looking over at Harry and Sirius.

"There is a definite magical signature left behind from whoever attacked Neville but I cannot positively identify it as of yet." He began.

Dumbledore sagged a little in obvious relief. Still, Severus caught Harry's eye just long enough for Harry to be sure that Severus was lying. He knew exactly who that magical signature belonged to and would give Harry that information as soon as it was safe.

"Aside from that, he seems to be healing nicely. He should wake up by tomorrow morning." Severus finished.

"Good."

Sirius looked at Harry. "Stay with him tonight, will you? I know Neville and it isn't a good idea for him to wake up alone in the hospital wing."

Harry nodded. He agreed that it wasn't wise to let Neville wake up on his own. If Neville did remember what had happened and who had attacked him, he would go looking for his attackers. If Harry was there when he woke up, he could stop Neville before he did something too foolish.

"I cannot authorize that." Dumbledore said. "Harry must stay in his own room tonight."

Lucius, who had arrived some time ago with Narcissa and Regulus, sighed. "Harry, do as Sirius asks. Should you have any problems with the Headmaster, I'd like you to go directly to Severus' office. He will alert me and I will take care of the problem."

Harry nodded. "I will."

"You cannot undermine my authority in this school, Lucius!" Dumbledore burst out, finally losing his patience.

"I'm a governor of this school, Headmaster. Not to mention the guardian of three of its pupils. I think you'll find that I can overrule any decision that I find necessary when it comes to my children." Lucius said. His voice was calm but his grip on his cane had tightened so that his knuckles were white.

"Besides," Harry said, "I know Neville. If he wakes up alone in the hospital wing, he will go after whoever he believes is responsible for this attack. And he won't be nice in his revenge."

"Harry, Neville has been obliviated. He will not remember who did this." Dumbledore tried.

"Someone has **attempted** to obliviate him, Headmaster. We have no idea if it was successful or not. I want Harry to stay with Neville. It will give him comfort to have a friend nearby in case he wakes earlier than we expect." Madam Pomfrey said firmly.

"Very well Poppy." Dumbledore said. "I'll be back in the morning to check on his progress."

And with that, he was gone. When the doors to the hospital wing closed behind him, Minerva peeked her head out of Madam Pomfrey herself was already raising privacy wards and silencing spells around the door as Minerva walked out to greet them.

"I take it you have more information for us, Minerva?" Severus asked.

Minerva nodded. "Poppy and I were having tea together this evening. Lord Slytherin was watching the members of Slytherin's Guild in secret. We were discussing what the Potters and Dumbledore were doing locked in his office the way they were when Lord Slytherin came bursting into the office." Her lips thinned as she suppressed a growl. "He told us that Neville had been summoned to the Headmaster's office and he'd gone with him to ensure that they didn't try to harm Neville. Once he was in the Headmaster's office, Jamie Potter stunned Neville almost immediately. Dumbledore allowed him to physically attack Neville for a few moments before he obliviated him. In order to stop the obliviation, Lord Slytherin possessed Neville for a brief period of time. Lord Slytherin's occlumency shields held the obliviation at bay." She said.

Harry growled. "I'm going to kill them."

Draco nodded. "Thank you for alerting us, Minerva. We appreciate being told what's happening."

"You're welcome, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco glanced at Harry. "I'll stay with you tonight. Just in case Dumbledore returns and tries anything. Lyra can go to Gryffindor and let our Weasley brothers know what's going on."

Harry nodded, thankful that Draco was willing to stay with him. He didn't like being alone, never had. Years of being locked in a dark, damp cellar alone had made him fearful of being alone. It was one of the reasons he enjoyed being at Hogwarts. He never had to sleep alone. There was always someone in the dorms at night.

Madam Pomphrey readied the beds on either side of Neville as the adults talked amongst themselves. When she had finished, the adults said their goodbyes and left the Hospital Wing silently. Draco and Harry climbed into the beds on either side of their Gryffindor friend and slid their wands beneath their pillows. Slowly, the friends drifted to sleep.


	7. IMPORTANT UPDATE!

_**Hey all!**_

 _ **I haven't updated this story in a while because I lost pretty much everything that I had for it. Chapters, notes, outlines... everything was lost when my computer crashed. That said, I am working on completely rewriting it. Hopefully, the new version will be ten times better!**_


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